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Adolescence is a time of rapid growth and development physically, emotionally, and cognitively. For girls it is a stage of life during which education, when effectively provided, can be transformative. One of the most significant problems in most developing countries is the failure of education systems to realize their potential for empowering adolescent girls by providing economically productive skills. Education during adolescence can protect girls from the risks of premature sexual initiation and allow them to postpone marriage and childbearing and experience a childhood without the burden of excessive domestic work. Schools have the potential to fully empower girls to translate learning and skill acquisition into remunerative employment, better health, effective citizenship, and gender equity in society later in life. This guide is one of a set of five GIRLS FIRST! Perspectives on Girl-Centered Programming thematic reviews addressing the five strategic priorities defined in the UN Joint Statement, "Accelerating Efforts to Advance the Rights of Adolescent Girls," which supports governments and partners in advancing key policies and programs for the hardest-to-reach adolescent girls.

L'adolescence marque une période de croissance et de développement rapides sur le plan physique, affectif, et cognitif. Côté féminin, il s'agit d'une étape de la vie durant laquelle l'éducation, si elle est efficace, peut être transformatrice. Un problème majeur, dans la plupart des pays en développement, est que les systèmes d'éducation en place ne cernent et ne réalisent pas leur potentiel d'autonomisation des adolescentes en les dotant de compétences économiquement productives. L'éducation des filles durant l'adolescence peut les tenir à l'abri des risques d'une initiation sexuelle précoce, différer le mariage et la maternité et leur permettre de vivre une enfance comparable à celle des garçons, libres du fardeau de travaux ménagers excessifs. Les écoles ont le potentiel d'en faire plus pour habiliter les filles à traduire les connaissances et compétences acquises en une situation d'emploi rémunérateur, de meilleure santé, une citoyenneté efficace, et l'équité entre les sexes sur le long terme. GIRLS FIRST! Perspectives de programmation centrée sur les filles est une série de cinq comptes rendus thématiques, qui abordent les cinq priorités stratégiques définies dans la Déclaration conjointe des Nations Unies, «Intensifier l'action menée pour promouvoir les droits des adolescentes », au soutien des gouvernements et de leurs partenaires pour la promotion de politiques et programmes essentiels au profit des adolescentes les plus difficiles à atteindre. --- Adolescence is a time of rapid growth and development physically, emotionally, and cognitively. For girls it is a stage of life during which education, when effectively provided, can be transformative. One of the most significant problems in most developing countries is the failure of education systems to realize their potential for empowering adolescent girls by providing economically productive skills. Education during adolescence can protect girls from the risks of premature sexual initiation and allow them to postpone marriage and childbearing and ...

Over the past 15 years, girls' education in the developing world has been a story of progress, as noted in Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 33. Interest from the development community has grown steadily in response to evidence documenting the benefits of girls' schooling, and female education is now a major part of global development commitments. Education helps adolescent girls avoid long working hours and early pregnancies, and lowers risk of HIV/AIDS, and secondary education offers greater prospects of remunerative employment. But according to a 2008 United Nations report, 113 countries failed to reach the 2005 Millennium Development Goals on gender equality in education. The Population Council's research on schooling seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the patterns and trends in schooling for girls and the relationship between experiences in school, school quality, and adolescent outcomes. Findings from the Council's most recent work on girls' education are outlined in New Lessons: The Power of Educating Adolescent Girls, which builds a case for rigorous efforts by governments and NGOs to improve educational standards for adolescent girls.

AbstractThis paper explores inequalities in education across sub‐Saharan Africa, the poorest continent. Although we primarily focus on primary school completion rates, some attention is also given to measures of basic literacy as a more proximate indicator of human capital acquisition. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), we present data on cross‐country variations in primary school completion rates, including gender and wealth gaps. While these data paint a picture of overall educational progress, particularly for girls, this general picture is juxtaposed against an extremely diverse landscape across Africa with respect to primary school completion as well as retained literacy. Cross‐country variation in primary school completion can be partially explained by variations in national per capita income and is highly correlated with cross‐country variations in primary completion rates achieved 20 years ago, but we still find surprising variations in educational outcomes, among the poorest countries. Among the 24 sub‐Saharan African countries with a purchasing power parity GNI less than $1000, we find a significant variation in both primary completion rates and achieved literacy, suggesting that educational progress is possible even in resource challenged environments. At the same time, our findings are sobering; in many countries, international educational goals are unlikely to be reached by 2015 and learning outcomes are frequently abysmal. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper examines the case of Pakistan, where primary school enrollment among girls in rural areas is substantially lower than among children in urban areas and boys in rural areas, owing to lack of access to government girls' schools. The focus is on teacher absence as a further barrier to schooling for girls. Using data from a panel study of primary schooling in rural Punjab and NWFP in 1997 and 2004, the report examines trends in teacher absence, examine the factors correlated with teacher absence in the government and private sector, and assesses the implications of these absence levels for access to schooling among enrolled boys and girls.

In some of the more traditional parts of the world, fertility is falling steadily, sometimes rapidly, in environments where women's lives remain severely constrained. The recent experiences of Bangladesh and Egypt, both predominantly Muslim countries, are illustrative in this regard. Since the late 1970s, rural and urban areas in both countries have experienced steady declines in fertility, with recent declines in rural Bangladesh similar to those in rural Egypt, despite lower levels of development and higher rates of poverty. This paper provides an in-depth exploration of the demographic transition in these two societies as seen through the dual lens of society-wide gender systems and a range of relevant state policies. It addresses three basic questions: (1) have measurable improvements in economic opportunities for women been a factor in the fertility decline in either country?; (2) have differences in gender systems at the societal level provided a more favorable environment for fertility decline in Bangladesh in comparison to Egypt, despite the former's more modest economic achievements?; (3) in what ways can the development strategies adopted by the governments of Bangladesh and Egypt, with their very different implications for women's opportunities in contexts where personal autonomy remains limited, be seen as additional factors in explaining the similar rural fertility declines despite dissimilar economic circumstances? After reviewing the evidence, the paper concludes that neither differences in existing gender systems nor measurable changes in women's opportunities have been key factors in the notable demographic successes recorded in these two countries. Indeed, low levels of women's autonomy have posed no barrier to fertility decline in either country. However, there is a case to be made that Bangladesh's distinct approach to development, with considerable emphasis on reaching the rural poor and women and a strong reliance on non-governmental institutions may have played a part in accelerating the ...