Boris Johnson says it is his “fervent belief” that improving girls’ education in developing countries is the best way to “lift communities out of poverty”.
The prime minister has announced MP Helen Grant as a special envoy for efforts to support girls’ education.
It is expected to be a key theme of the UK’s presidency this year of the G7 group of major industrial countries.
“It can change the fortunes of not just individual women and girls, but communities and nations,” says the PM.
Even before the pandemic, millions of children in developing countries did not have any access to school – and girls from disadvantaged families are particularly vulnerable to missing out on education. whether through poverty or prejudice.
12 years in school
The Covid pandemic has created even more barriers to education, with a peak of 1.6 billion children around the world having faced school closures.
Boris Johnson wants girls’ education to be a focus of the UK’s G7 presidency
Mr Johnson, as foreign secretary and prime minister, has previously highlighted girls’ education as a key to improving the health, wealth and security of the poorest countries.
He once described it as the “Swiss army knife” of development, as getting girls to stay in education could avoid early marriage, improve their chances of getting a job and provide more income for children to be better fed.
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The prime minister said the international target of ensuring all girls can have 12 years of good quality education would be the “simplest and most transformative thing we can do” to tackle poverty and to “end the scourge of gender-based violence”.
“The benefits of educating girls are enormous – a child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to live past the age of five and twice as likely to attend school themselves. With just one additional school year, a woman’s earnings can increase by up to a fifth,” said Mr Johnson.
‘Global retreat’
Helen Grant, now the special envoy for girls’ education, said: “High quality female education empowers women, reduces poverty and unleashes economic growth.
“I will be making it my mission to encourage a more ambitious approach to girls’ education from the international community.”
There has been a series of pledges from the international community over the past three decades to provide at least a primary school education for all children – all of which have been missed.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said hosting the G7 should be a chance for the UK to act as a “moral force for good in the world”, but accused the Conservatives of engaging in “a decade of global retreat”.
“We need to seize this chance to lead again, just as Blair and Brown did over global poverty and the financial crisis.
And also….
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, recently emphasized the crucial role of educating girls in ending poverty. In a speech delivered at the Global Education Summit in London, Johnson spoke about the need to address the global education crisis, and highlighted the importance of investing in education for girls.
Johnson pointed out that 130 million girls around the world are currently out of school, and that this has a devastating impact on their future prospects. Girls who are denied an education are more likely to marry young, have children at a young age, and face higher rates of poverty and ill-health. They are also less likely to be able to contribute to their families and communities, or to be able to participate fully in the economy.
To tackle this issue, Johnson announced that the UK government would provide £430 million in funding to support education in developing countries over the next five years. This funding will focus in particular on girls’ education, with the aim of ensuring that every girl can receive 12 years of quality education.
Johnson’s emphasis on girls’ education is not new. In his previous role as Foreign Secretary, he launched the Girls’ Education Challenge, a programme which provided support to over one million girls in some of the world’s poorest countries. The programme was designed to tackle the barriers that prevent girls from accessing education, such as child marriage, poverty, and cultural attitudes towards gender roles.
Johnson’s commitment to girls’ education is part of a wider movement to prioritize education in the global development agenda. The Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the United Nations in 2015, include a target to ensure that all children have access to quality education by 2030. This goal is supported by a range of initiatives, including the Global Partnership for Education, which aims to mobilize resources to support education in developing countries.
There are many reasons why educating girls is so important in the fight against poverty. One of the most significant is that educated girls are more likely to marry later and have fewer children. This helps to reduce population growth, which is a key driver of poverty in many countries. Educated girls are also more likely to be able to participate in the workforce, and to earn higher wages. This not only benefits the individual girl and her family, but also has positive impacts on the wider economy.
In addition, educated girls are more likely to be able to make informed decisions about their health and the health of their families. They are more likely to seek healthcare when they need it, and to be able to prevent and treat illnesses. This helps to reduce the burden of ill-health on families and communities, and can have wider impacts on productivity and economic growth.
Despite the clear benefits of educating girls, there are still many barriers that prevent girls from accessing education. These include poverty, cultural attitudes towards gender roles, and the lack of infrastructure and resources in many schools. To overcome these barriers, it is important to invest in programmes that address the root causes of gender inequality and poverty, and that provide girls with the support they need to stay in school and succeed.
In conclusion, Boris Johnson’s emphasis on girls’ education is a welcome development in the fight against poverty. By investing in education for girls, we can reduce population growth, improve health outcomes, and boost economic growth. However, to truly make a difference, we need to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and poverty, and ensure that every girl has the support she needs to reach her full potential.
Boris Johnson emphasizes importance of educating girls in eradicating poverty.
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