Publication: Girls and Schools in Sub-Saharan Africa : From Analysis to Action
Date
1996-01
ISSN
Published
1996-01
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
The review of the literature
demonstrates the variation, complexity and inter-relatedness
of the factors that constrain female education in Africa.
These factors are similar to yet different from those
exhibited elsewhere in the developing world. There is a
growing body of scholarly review of strategies to enhance
female education and their efficacy. On the supply side,
these practices include building more schools, improving the
school environment, training more female teachers, and
removing gender bias in textbooks. On the demand side, they
include launching information campaigns to promote the
benefits of female education and providing stipends and
scholarships as incentives to parents. The following table
presents a summary of some of these promising strategies.
The study draws several conclusions from this detailed
catalogue of policy and program approaches: First, it is
difficult to assess the cost-effectiveness of most of the
initiatives. Second, since girls' education is
constrained by several related factors at the home, school,
community and government levels, the most promising
approaches appear to be those which address supply and
demand-side factors simultaneously. Third, most of the
successful initiatives have been conceived and managed by
non-governmental organizations on a relatively small scale
with little direct government involvement but with strong
community engagement. Fourth, the success of many of the
initiatives must be treated cautiously as their
effectiveness has yet to be proven. Fifth, despite this
growing body of knowledge about the complex problems of
female education, few significant programs and projects have
been implemented to reduce the gender gap in education,
particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, and those implemented
have had limited impact.
Citation
“World Bank. 1996. Girls and Schools in Sub-Saharan Africa : From Analysis to Action. Africa Region Findings & Good Practice Infobriefs; No. 54. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/7af884de-d0c5-55fa-a0ea-cabcebd6d35e License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”