UNESCO & others join forces to ensure girls’ education amid COVID-19

‘We are at a critical junction for girls’ education’, said Chernor Bah, moderator of the event and co-Founder of Purposeful in Sierra Leone. ‘This is our window where we must build back equal, not just better.’

'None of us are equal until all of us are equal', said Sewanatu, a girls' rights activist from Sierra Leone during the Pan-African launch of Building Back Equal: Girls Back to School Guide.

UNESCO, the African Union, Malala Fund, Plan International, UN Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI), and UNICEF joined forces during a virtual event to examine the gender dimensions of COVID-19-related school closures and concretize commitments in Africa to ensure girls' education amid COVID-19.

'We are at a critical junction for girls' education', said Chernor Bah, moderator of the event and co-founder of Purposeful in Sierra Leone. 'This is our window where we must build back equal, not just better.'

In April 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 236 million learners across nearly all the African continent were out of school. Now, in 14 countries, partial or full school closures are still affecting millions of learners, while others are unsure when they will sit in a classroom again.

'The fight against COVID-19 requires an inclusive, participatory approach of the countries' population with a special attention to the specific needs of the most vulnerable, especially women, children, and elders', said Sarah Anyang Agbor, African Union Commissioner in her opening remarks. Estimates reveal that 1 million girls in Sub-Saharan Africa may never return to school once they reopen due to policies and practices that ban pregnant girls and young mothers from resuming school.

'Schools are not just for learning', said Muzi Ndlovu, Director for health promotion in the Ministry for Basic Education of South Africa. 'Schools give access to essential services, social protection, meals, and safety from violence and exploitation.' As schools across Africa reopen or prepare to do so, governments, education sector officials, community leaders, teachers, and school staff have an opportunity to build back equality to transform education systems, foster resilience, and address barriers to girls' education.

'We believe that it is only through cooperation that we can build back equal and rebound from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic', said Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO. This point was affirmed by Rita Bissoonauth, Head of the African Union's International Centre for Girls' and Women's Education, 'Like the former Ebola crisis, once again our African countries are called to unite…everyone on the continent has a role to play'.

Girls and youth activists are demanding to be co-creators of the change and calling for the accountability of leaders. 'We're taking our place as leaders of today, as champions of our own issues and as front-liners,' said Yande, a girls' rights activist from Zambia. 'We must demand action', she said. 'Now should have been yesterday.'

This point was further emphasized by Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, the African Union's Goodwill Ambassador on Ending Child Marriage and Chief Executive of Rozaria Memorial Trust, who said 'we are not only building back better, we are building the future with girls'.

The discussions also centered on the need for sustained investments in girls' education. 'To build back equal, we don't only need to be concerned about the amount of financing, but how the money is spent', said Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education.

Different measures were shared throughout the event, from policy guidelines enabling pregnant girls and young mothers to continue their schooling in South Africa, to, as explained by Véronique Bakayoko, Director of Gender Equity and Equality in the Ministry of National Education, Technical Education and Vocational Training of Côte d'Ivoire, advocacy with parents on the importance of girls' education.

'We call on African governments to keep girls at the center and to ensure that their specific needs are integrated into ongoing education response and recovery plans', said Cecilia Baldeh, Regional Education Advisor for UNICEF, as she concluded the event.

UNESCO, Malala Fund, Plan International, UNGEI, and UNICEF, through the Global Education Coalition's Gender Flagship, launched the action-oriented guide to provide comprehensive and evidence-based plans for reopening schools in a way that is safe, gender-responsive and child-friendly and meets the needs of the most marginalized girls. The guide was developed as part of the Keeping girls in the picture campaign to ensure all girls can continue to learn during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.