The girls’ education initiative in Egypt

Abstract

UNICEF is strengthening its role as a global knowledge leader for children. This entails improving its capacity to document emerging knowledge and systematically share and scale up good practices. These good practices will be transformed into significant knowledge products, an example of which is the current publication. Creating opportunities for reflection, and the generation of knowledge can only further enhance our efforts to promote new ideas, the emergence of solutions and innovation relevant to children and women’s issues. In 2004 an Arab Regional conference for quality education entitled “The Arab Vision for The Future” was held in Egypt through a partnership between UNICEF, UNESCO and respective Ministries of Education. The conference centered on a number of issues, and in particular the paradigm shift in quality education; the establishment and reinforcement of standards for quality learning in all domains; sharing of selected best practices, identification of centers of excellence in the region and building networks and partnerships around education reform. The conference highlighted that despite concerns over the quality of education in the region, innovation was also taking shape. The conference findings outlined the need for documentation, knowledge dissemination, networking, partnerships and dialogue. The recommendations also clearly stated the need for the establishment of centers of excellence in the region. UNICEF in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has now initiated a learning series to match the need for knowledge generation and management in education. The first volume in the series tackles a priority issue in the region, namely Girls’ Education. The case of Egypt is here presented on the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI). The document depicts an Egyptian Girls’ Education Initiative led by national champions and supported by partners. This model has been documented in view of its innovative strategy in reducing the gender gap by fostering partnerships with many stakeholders, traditionally not involved in education. This particular model has also highlighted the importance of community participation in empowering girls to go and stay in school. It has also shown the effectiveness of “girl friendly” strategies and stressed the role of child centered active learning pedagogies in ensuring increased girls enrollment and initiation to life long learning. We hope this first publication in the learning series will be of interest and further consolidate policy dialogue and planning for measurable results and progress against the MDGs and the Millennium Declaration.