Rethinking Schooling for the 21st Century

However, the present study shows that the references to gender equality
continue to be only moderately frequent in Pakistan and altogether absent in Iran.
Related difficulties or challenges posed for educational policy range from the
general goal of equalising educational opportunity to specific reforms to cultural
practices, such as child marriage, that are discriminatory or harmful for girls. The
The rural-urban
divide, poverty, the
caste system and
rights of religious
minorities are some of
the key dimensions of
inequality that intersect
with gender disparity,
complicating efforts to
tackle it
distribution of educational opportunities in an
equitable manner is a subject where several types
of inequality intersect. The rural-urban divide,
poverty, the caste system and rights of religious
minorities are some of the key dimensions of
inequality that intersect with gender disparity,
complicating efforts to tackle it.
Problems of inequality and injustice in the
sphere of gender relations have recently received
considerable attention in different countries
across the region. The gender gap in literacy has
narrowed in most parts of South Asia although it
remains as high as 44 per cent in Afghanistan (National Education Strategic Plan
III, 2016, p. 19). In many parts of rural India, as well as Pakistan and Nepal, the
gender gap in adult literacy remains high (UNESCO, 2012a).
Portrayal and discussion of the gender gap in this and other respects have been
acknowledged as important means of critical pedagogy, especially by NGOs
active in this domain. School education is a major sphere in which South Asian
governments have chosen to be pro-active on the gender front. The coding data
show that South Asia is the only region that addressed gender equality with a
high weightage in policy and curricular documents, arguably due to having the
lowest levels of gender equality within the region (see Chapter 2).
Box 5.3 Examples of references to gender equality in education policy and
curriculum frameworks in South Asia
Gender equality is superficially incorporated in policy documents across the region, accompanying
a long list of internationally prevalent key words and concepts. The Sri Lankan
National Policy (1997), for example, states: ‘Concepts relating to peace education, national
harmony, democratic principles, human rights, gender equality and environmental conservation
will be built into the Social Studies and other subjects as appropriate’ (p. 1). Similarly,
Bangladesh’s NEP (2010) aims ‘to remove socio-economic discrimination irrespective
of race, religion and creed and to eradicate gender disparity; to develop non-communalism,
friendliness, global fraternity, fellow-feeling and respect for human rights’ (p. 8).
Nepalese documents discuss issues like child marriage, lack of girls’ toilets in schools, gender
disparity in society, and lack of appropriate teacher training. For example, the SSDP
(2016) acknowledges that ‘good quality sexuality education, particularly education that integrates
gender and human rights in a meaningful way is needed’ (p. 23), and that ‘married
girls are 11 times more likely to be out of school compared to their unmarried peers and
early marriage is cited as the second most common reason for school drop-out’ (p. 26).
Rethinking Schooling for the 21 st Century:
The State of Education for Peace, Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship in Asia
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