http://www.womensenews.org/index.cfm
Global Education of Girls Is Key to Development
By Stephan Faris - WEnews correspondent
LAGOS, Nigeria (WOMENSNEWS)--She wants to be an engineer, but for now
Blessing Ugwu works at a wooden stand over a gutter clogged with bricks
and garbage.....
UNICEF says that, worldwide, 1 billion adults are illiterate--two-thirds
of them women. Nearly 100 million children in the developing world don't
have access to education. And for every boy out of school, two girls are
unable to attend--70 million girls.
It starts early: Fewer girls than boys finish primary school. By the
time they reach 18, girls have, on average, 4.4 years less education than
boys.Put another way, 81 million girls--49 million more than boys--have no
access to primary school education.
The most important single factor driving the disparity is economic. The
harder it is to send children to school, the more likely girls'
education will suffer. In many poor countries, families with limited funds
are
forced to decide whom they will send to school. Either they need help
around
the house or at work, or they can't afford the costs--transportation,
supplies and fees--of schooling all their children. Usually, it's the
daughters
that miss out.....
World Education Forum: -
http://www2.unesco.org/wef/en-press/press-kit_scor.shtm
Linda Purrington
<lpurring@earthlink.net>
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