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org

IMUN Online Conference 55.0

Study Guide

Committee: United Nations Children’s Fund

Topic: Bridging literacy gap between men and
women

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Table of Contents
About the committee ........................................................................................ 3
Introduction ................................................................................................... 3
Mandate ........................................................................................................ 3
Introduction to the topic ................................................................................... 4
Current Situation ............................................................................................... 6
International Framework .................................................................................. 8
Possible Solutions ............................................................................................. 9
Questions A Resolution Must Answer ............................................................ 10
References....................................................................................................... 11

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About the committee

Introduction

The United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA) agreed to the formation of

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in 1946
through resolution 57(1). The major objective after inception was to help
children across Europe who had been left helpless after the Second World War.
The main purpose of the fund was to help in building shelter, provide food,
enhance security for children and reduce the rising child mortality, particularly
in times of crisis as after the Second World War. Maurice Pate, the first Executive
Director of UNICEF agreed to take his position on condition that all children
regardless of their nationality or creed would be assisted by this fund. Ever since,
this has always been the primary goal of UNICEF. However, in 1950 the attempt
to close the fund, the UNICEF leadership together with Member States
requested the continuation of the fund and expanded its scope. Hence, in 1953,
the General Assembly resolved to change it from an Emergency Fund to a
permanent Specialized Agency of sections 57 and 63 of the Charter of the United
Nations.

Mandate

The mandate of UNICEF was shifted from providing temporary relief to ensuring
long-term sustainable development goals. Moreover, help countries be able to
provide for their own children in future. Hence, its mission has been extended
to Africa and Asia that were not previously under its mandate. It was noticed
that children could not be viewed in isolation but as an important aspect within
the society; children were found to be the most vulnerable in the society. For
example, in cases of wars, children formed part of the refugees, homeless and
died of vulnerable diseases. UNICEF thus, realized the importance of improving
the livelihood through enhanced development projects. ''A World Fit for
Children'' is a document that emerged after the United Nations General
Assembly Special Session on Children (UNGASS), which voices out specific goals
in achieving a 'child friendly' society. This document integrated the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) that highlighted clear guideline of UNICEF's
objectives at least for the next twenty years.

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Introduction to the topic

More girls than ever before are going to school. Not only do they learn to read
and write, but each year that they remain in school after the primary level,
reduces their chance of marrying at too young an age. It increases their
prospects for employment, health and overall well-being. Girls and women have
an equal right to a quality education and learning throughout all phases of their
lives.
Despite progress, as many as 48.1 per cent of girls remain out of school in some
regions. Gender gaps in primary and secondary enrolment rates have nearly
closed, on average. Yet 15 million girls are not in primary school right now,
compared to 10 million boys. In adolescence, higher numbers of girls often drop
out of secondary school for reasons including early pregnancy and the
expectation that they should contribute to household work.
UN Women acts to promote equality in education through the revision of school
curricula and policies to counteract gender discrimination, and equal access to
vocational education and training as well as information technologies. Together
with partners, we have worked on school curriculums and on virtual schools.
Primary education provides the foundation for a lifetime of learning. Providing
universal access to, and ensuring the completion of, primary education for all
girls and boys is one of the key areas of concern identified in the Beijing Platform
for Action adopted in 1995. Since then, considerable progress has been made in
achieving universal primary education and closing the gender gap in enrollment.
More than two-thirds of countries have reached gender parity (defined as
having a gender parity index [GPI] value between 0.97 and 1.03) in enrolment in
primary education, but in countries that have not reached parity, particularly in
Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, girls are more likely to be disadvantaged
than boys. In Chad and Pakistan, for example, the GPI value is 0.78 and 0.84
respectively, meaning that 78 girls in Chad and 84 girls in Pakistan are enrolled
in primary school for every 100 boys.

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Investing in secondary education is essential for equipping adolescent boys and

girls with the knowledge and skills needed to become productive engaged
citizens. Advancing girls’ secondary education, in particular, is one of the most
transformative development strategies countries can invest in. Completion of
secondary education brings significant benefits to girls and societies, from
increased lifetime earnings to reductions in adolescent childbearing, child
marriage, stunting, and maternal and child mortality.
Gender disparity in enrolment is found in more countries at the secondary level
than at the primary level. Moreover, in contrast to primary education, the
gender disparity disadvantages boys at the secondary level in many countries,
although the disadvantage is typically less extreme. In India, the Philippines and
Burundi, 93 boys are enrolled in lower secondary school for every 100 girls. The
largest gender gaps at the expense of girls are observed in sub-Saharan Africa.
In Central African Republic and Chad, for example, only 61 girls and 62 girls,
respectively, are enrolled in lower secondary school for every 100 boys.
While both out-of-school adolescent boys and girls face social and economic
marginalization, out-of-school girls are at greater risk of early and forced
marriage and attendant health risks, including adolescent childbearing. Globally,
girls comprised 49 per cent of the out-of-school population among children of
lower secondary school age in 2018, compared to 54 per cent in 2000. The global
rate of out-of-school adolescent girls of lower secondary age is 16 per cent and
for boys 15 per cent, but as expected, there is variation between regions.
Less than 10 per cent of adolescent boys and girls are out of school in North
America, Europe and Central Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean while
the rates are 36 per cent and 39 per cent for adolescent boys and girls,
respectively, of lower secondary age in sub-Saharan Africa. In Mali, the country
with the highest overall lower secondary out-of-school rate worldwide (54 per
cent), 49 per cent of lower secondary school age boys are out of school
compared to 56 per cent of girls. In Sierra Leone, nearly 1 in 2 girls and boys are.

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Current Situation
Between 2000 and 2018, the number of out-of-school girls of primary school age
decreased globally by 44 per cent, from 57 million to 32 million. Boys saw a
decrease globally of 37 per cent during this same period, from 42 million to 27
million. Despite this progress, some 59 million children of primary school age
were out of school in 2018 (55 per cent of whom were girls), with sub-Saharan
Africa observing the highest overall rates. While globally out-of-school girls are
more likely than out-of-school boys to never enrol in school, progress in
reducing the number of out-of-school children has stagnated for both girls and
boys since 2007, as increased access to primary education has barely kept pace
with global child population growth, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Results from the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
of 15-year old students reveal that girls performed better than boys in reading
literacy in every country participating in the assessment. In contrast, boys
performed better than girls in mathematics in about 80 per cent of participating
countries. Gender gaps favoring boys and girls were observed in 38 per cent and
55 per cent of countries, respectively. While there has been much debate about
the factors that account for gender differences in educational attainment,
emerging evidence of the role of positive gender socialization, both at school
and at home, suggests that parents, teachers, and policy makers can foster
foundational skills in reading, math and science in all children.

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As schools close during the Covid-19 crisis, the gains girls have made in
education over the last 25 years, particularly in enrolment and learning
outcomes, are at risk of dissipating, especially if closures are protracted. Schools
also are often one of the strongest social networks for adolescent girls, providing
peers and mentors, and when girls are cut off from these networks, their risk of
violence increases. In contexts where gender norms may preclude girls from
accessing the household infrastructure and digital platforms needed for remote
learning, such as computers, smartphones and the internet, they may fall behind
their male peers while schools are closed. And when schools do reopen, many
girls may not return, as observed during the Ebola crisis.

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International Framework
• In accordance with Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, “everyone has the right to education”.
• Article 3 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights requires States parties to undertake “to ensure the equal right of
men and women to the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural
rights” set forth in that treaty, including the right to education.
• Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights provides “the right of everyone to education. “ To this end,
“primary education shall be compulsory and available free to all”.
Secondary education in its different forms, including technical and
vocational secondary education, and higher education, on the basis of
capacity, shall be made generally and equally accessible to all, and in
particular by the progressive introduction of free education.
• Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child provides, inter alia,
that States Parties shall “make primary education compulsory and
available free to all”, “make higher education accessible to all on the basis
of capacity by every appropriate means”, and “take measures to
encourage regular attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out
rates.”
• Article 10 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, details a number of measures which
should be taken to eliminate discrimination against women in order to
ensure to them equal rights with men in the field of education.
• UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education also bans
discrimination in education on the basis of sex, referring to all types and
levels of education, and includes access to education, the standard and
quality of education, and the conditions under which it is given.
• The Beijing Platform of Action of the UN Fourth World Conference on
Women in 1995 recognized education as a basic human right and an
essential tool for achieving more equal relations between women and
men.

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Possible Solutions
Despite the overwhelming interest of women and girls in accessing education, it
is not the availability and access to learning opportunities that necessarily pose
the main problems. A common barrier was permission from the family members
and community leaders. To overcome this, women and girls themselves
recommend having a two-tiered sensitization approach: first to advocate with
community leaders, religious and other respected authorities. Through these
community stakeholders they will assist to sensitize and get 'buy-in' from family
members.
Foundational preparatory activities for women and girls are critical. These
activities help them slowly adapt to learning new skills and not get
overwhelmed, particularly if they have never had any exposure to formal or non-
formal education opportunities. Developing a base level of literacy and
numeracy is also essential for women in their daily lives.
Life skills to help women and girls gain confidence and understand subject
matters that affect their lives is essential. For instance, UN Women and DCA
have included topics like nutrition, hygiene, conflict resolution, critical thinking,
and discovering the strengths of peers, to complement the non-formal
education for women and girls.
Particularly in refugee response, it is best to integrate educational programming
into existing protection and GBV programs. UN Women is integrating
educational activities into its Multi-purpose women's centers (MPWCs), which
are female-only spaces. These activities will fully utilize the limited spaces in the
camps while also providing services that enhance the well-being of women and
girls, such as livelihood opportunities, counseling, case management, and
paramedic services.
A blended approach of center-based and home-based learning is most suited
not only to build trust with key decision-makers at the community and
household level, but also to cater to various other challenges of mobility of
women and girls, constraints of physical spaces, and ensuring access for learners
with disabilities, etc.

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In addition to the above specific issues, other prerequisites like ensuring

necessary gender-segregated facilities, female toilets, quality female teachers,
provision of educational materials, and other incentives are fundamental. A
recent UN Women and IOM study on gender norms that consulted the
communities highlighted the importance of engaging women and girls in
education initiatives in female-only spaces by female teachers.
To address such issues further, UN Women runs educational programmes to
promote gender equality and women’s rights, revises formal school curricula
and policies, and trains teachers, students and parents. UN Women also worked
with partners to develop a non-formal educational curriculum against violence
and educators, and youth leaders are currently being trained to deliver the
curriculum in 12 countries.

Questions A Resolution Must Answer

1. What are the common flaws in the education laws followed by countries?
What changes can be made to them?
2. How can the governments help reduce the financial burden on parents
for sending their children to school?
3. How can governments monitor areas to ensure females are attending
schools on a regular basis?
4. How can males be more involved in these process of promoting right to
education for females?
5. How can awareness be created on this issue on all levels of society? In
what ways can electronic and print media as well as social media
platforms be used for this?

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References
1. https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/education-pathway-
towards-gender-equality
2. https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/beijingat10/B.%20Ed
ucation%20and%20training%20of%20women%20(Sep%2009).pdf
3. https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-and-gender-equality
4. https://en.unesco.org/themes/women-s-and-girls-education/projects
5. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation
6. https://www.bbc.com/news/education-51769845
7. https://www.bbc.com/news/education-51176678
8. https://www.bbc.com/news/education-48531699
9. https://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/07/opinions/girls-education-
okonjo-iweala-lubna-al-qasimi-opinion/index.html
10.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-women-
education/failure-to-educate-girls-could-cost-world-30-trillion-
report-idUSKBN1K131U

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