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Data on girls’ and women’s education and literacyThe State of Senegal has committed to achieve schooling for all by 2015. In Kedougouregion however, the education system remains characterized by under-schooling,and particularly that of girls. In 2013, the drop-out rate was 8.9% for boys and 11.2%for girls. 4 Thus, the retention of girls at school is a challenge.Table 1Gender parity indexEducation (level)Number of pupilsGirls BoysGirl/boy RatioBasic education 1,218 1,179 1.03Elementary 12,409 13,782 0.90Middle 3,419 5,449 0.62Secondary 444 1,391 0.32Source: Annuaire statistique national – Année scolaire 2012-2013. 5(National Statistical Yearbook - 2012-2013 School Year)According to the Association of Teachers for the Education of Girls (SCOFI), girls’access to and retention in school conflicts with socio-cultural factors such as earlymarriage and pregnancy, responsibility for housework, poverty, incompatibilitybetween the school and agricultural calendars, and also and especially, traditionalgold-mining.BackgroundWhat is more, according to statistics from the Ministry of National Education for2013, more than half of elementary schools had no sanitary facilities. Thus, 52% ofschools had no toilets and 59% had no access to water. In the region as a whole,only 23% of schools had a handwashing facility. The lack of WASH infrastructure inschools is even more marked in middle and secondary education than in elementary. 6The literacy of the population is also a challenge. According to the National Agencyfor Statistics and Demographics (ANSD), the literacy rate in Kedougou is 35%.Thus, 65% of the population is illiterate. UNESCO data indicate that women accountfor 85% of this group. 7 There are few literacy classes in the region outside the townof Kedougou, the region’s capital, which has a small number. 8124 Senegal Education National Statistical Yearbook 2013, Kedougou School Inspectorate.5 Ministry of Education - Directorate of Education Planning and Reform, Office of Educational Statistics:http://www.education.gouv.sn/root-fr/upload_pieces/ANNUAIRE%20STAT%20EDUCATION%202012%202013.pdf6 Annuaire statistique national – Année scolaire 2012-2013 (National Statistical Yearbook - 2012-2013 SchoolYear), Senegal Ministry of National Education - Directorate of Education Planning and Reform, Office ofEducational Statistics: http://www.education.gouv.sn/root-fr/upload_pieces/ANNUAIRE%20STAT%20EDUCATION%202012%202013.pdf7 Women’s and Girls’ Literacy Project (PAJEF), UNESCO - Regional Office for Education in Africa (Dakar)http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIELD/Dakar/pdf/Fiche_PAJEF_visite_DG.pdf8 Information taken from the Kedougou Municipal Investment Plan (2012). However, this document does notprovide precise figures.