people and planet

14
for at least one of five reasons (e.g. burning the food)
was 75% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 60% in
Tajikistan and 49% in Yemen (UNICEF, 2016a).
Regarding institutions outside education, annual national
implementation reports on the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) provide information on legislation forbidding
gender-based discrimination. The Social Institutions and
Gender Index (SIGI) is based on formal and informal laws,
attitudes and practices that restrict women’s and girls’
access to rights, justice and empowerment opportunities
across 160 countries. Focusing on discriminatory family
codes, restricted physical integrity, son bias, restricted
resources and assets, and restricted civil liberties, it
collects information on laws, attitudes and practices. It
finds that 17 of 108 countries have very high levels of
discrimination against women (OECD, 2014b).
An important basis for understanding gender equality in
education is analysis of aspects of teaching and learning
practices. The extent of gender equality in curricula
and textbooks can be captured as part of research
studies based on expert reviews (see Chapter 16). In
the case of teaching practice, classroom observations
are necessary but are costly
and not easy to generalize.
In Malawi, as part of an early
In Malawi, 28% of
grade reading project, almost
5,000 teachers 5,000 grade 1–3 teachers were
observed in 11 observed in 11 districts in 2014;
of those, 28% were found
districts were
not to use appropriate and
found not to use gender-sensitive language. In
appropriate and the northern Nigerian states
of Bauchi and Sokoto, 25%
gender-sensitive
of teachers did not provide
language
equal opportunities to boys
and girls to speak in class (RTI
International, 2016).
From the learner’s point of view, evidence from surveys
in the Programme for International Student Assessment
(PISA) suggests that girls tend to have a much lower
belief in their ability to solve specific mathematics tasks
than boys, as well as in their mathematics abilities.
Across OECD countries, boys were 11 percentage points
more likely than girls to agree or strongly agree that
school advanced science topics were easy for them
(OECD, 2015a).
Priorities for monitoring substantive gender equality
There are two priorities for improving monitoring of
gender equality in education. First, efforts need to
focus on collecting more comprehensive data on gender
aspects of curricula, textbooks, assessments and teacher
education. In addition, consensus is needed on what
aspects of gender sensitivity in teaching practice could
be included in classroom observation tools (see Chapter
10). Such efforts would benefit by being embedded within
the framework of gender-responsive sector planning,
as in the case of the recent collaboration between the
Global Partnership on Education and the United Nations
Girls’ Education Initiative (GPE and UNGEI, 2013).
Second, closer links are needed between those working
on indicators on gender equality in education and those
focusing on broader indicators of gender equality (UN
Women, 2015). Wider dissemination of findings and
discussion with international bodies concerned with
women’s rights are needed. The Commission on the
Status of Women would be an appropriate forum for
discussion of how to enhance links between SDG 5 and
education reforms.
To reach consensus on how best to measure substantive
gender equality in education, and to establish a process
for collaborating and sharing practice, it is important to
form a working group on measurement methodology – it
could include UIS, UNGEI and UN Women – as well as
build a transnational network for groups concerned with
gender equality in education to share strategies related
to global progress on measurement.
DISABILITY
People with disabilities are among the most
marginalized and excluded groups and are routinely
denied their right to education of good quality. The
2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities commits governments to ensure an inclusive
education system at all levels (United Nations, 2006).
The SDG agenda also focuses on disability and target
4.5 specifically commits all countries to ensure equal
access to all levels of education and vocational training,
regardless of disability status. However, determining
progress depends on an operational and internationally
comparable measure of disability, which has remained
elusive, because disability has diverse forms and there are
important ethical and cost considerations. Still, progress
has been made.
2016 • GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT 265