Turning Cant's into Cans
May 30, 2016
Turning Can’ts into Cans
The construction of secondary schools in the Bosawas and the promotion of girls’ education will allow teachers to turn can’ts into cans for students living in this isolated region. In an area riddled with CAN’TS – nearly 50% of the population can’t read; many students can’t attend secondary school in their own community simply because there isn’t one; most girls can’t travel outside their own communities or the indigenous territory to attend classes because of obligations to the household – it is time for a little CAN!
Campaign for girls’ education | An investment in the future
Girls and boys have the Right to Education. It’s one of the fundamental rights. Article 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child spells it out clearly in black and white. 192 countries have ratified the treaty. And while we are making strides toward gender parity, girls continue to be underrepresented in schools in developing countries. Especially in secondary schools.
In the Bosawas, educating boys is prioritized while girls are too often asked to trade school for work to help support impoverished families. Campaigning for girls’ education means changing attitudes to ensure girls are treated equally and it means promoting investment in girls’ education as an investment in a community’s and a country’s development and future.
Investing in girls’ education is not only good for girls on an individual level. In addition to resulting in increased autonomy and self-esteem, increased participation in community organizations and political processes, and increased economic empowerment (each year of secondary school education increases a girl’s potential income by 15 to 25%), research has shown that each year of a mother’s schooling reduces the risk of infant mortality by 5 to 10%.
Educated women are more likely to send their children to school, creating a ripple effect of poverty reduction for future generations.