A fair chance - United Nations Girls' Education Initiative

Pakistan1.The government, at federal, provincial, and districtlevels, may be encouraged and induced to makepolitical and financial commitments to provideappropriate schools and appropriately educated andtrained teachers for girls, as required, to reducegender disparity in education.2.A periodical and regular monitoring system may beput in place for reporting progress and gaps in theeducation of children, especially of girls.3.Wherever required, teachers for girls’ schools shouldbe provided with residential facilities, security, andspecial financial incentives for those posted awayfrom their hometowns.4.The girls’ schools should be in close proximity totheir homes so that they are able to walk to schooland so that their parents and family feel secure abouttheir safety.5.Mothers of school age girls should be involved in the‘process of education’. There should be asimultaneous programme, preferably within theschool, for mothers’ literacy and some useful skillstraining. It would create an atmosphere of educationin the community, a sense of ownership of girls’education and incentives for the family to educatetheir daughters.6.Primary education of five years may be immediatelyconverted to eight years of elementary education sothat the students not only acquire sustainable literacyskills, but are also able to enter into some semiskilledtraining programme or profession, if they arenot able to continue on to secondary education.7.Many times girls are not sent to school because theyhelp their mothers in household chores and lookafter their younger siblings. The schools may provideplaygroup facilities for the younger siblings of theschool age girls so that the mothers of these girls arenot burdened with looking after young children.66