The Importance of Girl's Education

March is the International Women’s Month. For us in Kiran Pathways, education

of girl children is valued very highly for various reasons. We sincerely believe that

when you educate a girl, you automatically ensure quality education for the next

generations. Afterall, an educated mother, who is also the first teacher of a child, is

more likely to cultivate a desire among her children for quality education. Thus, it

is a great and beneficial social investment for many generations to come and such a

society witnesses an all round development for long periods of time.

Girl child education is important for following reasons to name a few:

1. Education empowers girls with knowledge and skills not only to raise above

poverty and gender discrimination, but also makes them aware and gives

them strength to fight against discrimination and harmful cultural practices

like child marriage. It also enables them to make informed decisions about

their self and family.

2. Educating girls has proven to increase productivity, and improves the GDP

of a country.

3. Educating girls improves the health of the society as a whole. It leads to

better maternal and child welfare and reduces early pregnancies, maternal

and child mortality rates.

4. Educating girls breaks the myth of stereotypes and helps to prove that given

equal opportunity to access education, girls are no less than anyone in their

intellectual capacities. It helps to promote gender equality.

5. Educating girls helps them to pursue lofty goals and enables them to reach

their full potential.

Among several global initiatives to promote education of girl child, the following

are important for their widespread reach and for spreading girl child education in

some sensitive parts of the world.

1. The United Nations Girls Education Initiative:This was launched in 2000 to

promote girl child education around the world.

2. UNESCO’s Education for all initiative: It aims at gender equality in

education.

3. The Malala Fund: Established by Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai to

enable free and quality education access to girls up to K12. It also advocates

for policy changes to promote girl education.

4. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE): The program is to provide

quality education to children in developing countries and is committed to

separate fund allocation for girls’ education programs.

5. The Let Girls Initiative: This initiative was launched by President Barack

Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. Above all, it provides funds to enable

girls education in Afghanistan, Liberia and Guatemala.

Thus, girl child education not only empowers girl children, but empowers the

whole society. Let us recommit ourselves to promote Girls’ education.

KIRAN PATHWAYS