How important is education to girls across the globe?

Women feel trapped

For many of these young girls, leaving is not an option. Why? Because they don’t have the skills and the education to gain them access to work and to be independent.

UNESCO estimates that 130 million girls between the age of 6 and 17 are out of school, adding that 15 million girls of primary school age will never witness a classroom – half of them coming from sub-Saharan Africa.

If we want to understand what educated women can do, we need to go back in time, back to ancient times – a time where we see that men are not the only ones who mattered.

Strong female role models

Going back to the history around the ancient times, you would probably read about the likes of Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. If you fast-forward in time, you would come across the Suffragettes – these were members of women’s organisations which advocated the right for women to vote in public elections.

Who could forget Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was Africa’s first elected female head of state? You would agree that setting aside her political challenges, she crushed the myth that women cannot be leaders and this inspired a lot of women.

The link between education and sexual abuse

We should be very concerned when a young girl in Sierra Leone is more likely to be sexually abused than to attend high school – some of these young girls may never discover their dreams.

In an article titled Girls’ Education, the World Bank stated:

“Child marriage is also a critical challenge. Child brides are much more likely to drop out of school and complete fewer years of education than their peers who marry later. This affects the education and health of their children, as well as their ability to earn a living.

According to a recent report, more than 41,000 girls under the age of 18 marry every day and putting an end to the practice would increase women’s expected educational attainment, and with it, their potential earnings. According to estimates, ending child marriage could generate more than $500 billion in benefits annually each year.”

When young girls are educated, they have control over their future; no older man will try to take advantage of them. Have you ever asked yourself why most child marriages or forced marriages happen in the rural areas? Because many of the families there are in poverty – educating young girls would save these families.

Ensuring that young girls are in school will be working towards gender equality and reducing inequality. Young girls in South Africa are victims of violence and teenage pregnancy, just to name a few – the very same things that keep them away from school, from education. It is thus imperative that when young girls can’t come to school due to these reasons, education can go to them.

Joseph Stalin once said:

“Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and whom it is aimed.”

I certainly believe that South Africa and the rest of the world can use this weapon to save young girls. Education empowers females to take control of their lives and their families, especially in Africa where young girls are already disadvantaged from birth and are faced with daunting situations that are beyond their ability.