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Formal primary education
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Strengthening Equality in Primary Education
The international community has pledged to abolish gender disparities in primary and secondary education. More than half of the 75 million children worldwide who do not attend school are girls. The most recent UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report notes a global trend towards gender equality, especially in primary education. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab countries and South and West Asia, considerable disparities continue to exist.
The goal of eliminating gender disparities in regard to access to primary and secondary education by 2005 was thus not achieved. The chances that the goal might be achieved by 2015 are better. Nevertheless, that will only be possible if the countries in question redesign their education policies in order to bring about the desired change. Most countries are reliant on external support in doing that.
Germany's contribution to gender equality
Germany has pledged to make education for women and girls a special priority. German support in this area is conditional on partner countries establishing a framework conducive to gender equality in the education sector through the adoption of legal and political reforms. German development cooperation advises countries on the introduction of legislation relating to gender quality and on reforms in the education sector. Scholarships enable girls from poorer families to attend school. More female teachers and equipping schools in accordance with girls' needs, more appropriate teaching methods and curricula can also encourage girls to attend school.
The abolition of discriminatory rules – for example, that girls must leave school if they become pregnant – is a further aim of German development policy. Every additional year spent at school means an income increase of up to 20 per cent for girls later on. Better education also means better protection from HIV/AIDS.
Germany is also providing development cooperation support for a project to develop gender-specific promotional strategies. The "Sectoral Advice and Promotion of Girls in Education" project advises decision-makers in partner countries on the formulation and implementation of measures in the education sector.
Promoting education in crisis regions
The majority of the world's children who do not attend school live in crisis or post-conflict regions. In order to link the promotion of primary education more closely to conflict-resolution in development cooperation, Germany has developed the supraregional "Education and Conflict-Resolution" project. One of the main focuses of the project is on integrating disadvantaged children, particularly child soldiers, refugees and street children, into the education system. The project also focuses on violence prevention in schools and non-school educational work, as well as on political education, for example on human rights issues.
The project is currently supporting education programmes in Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others.
Special courses for disabled children
In developing countries the disabled have very few opportunities to enter the education system: around 90 per cent of them do not go to school. Germany aims to improve the situation of the disabled by means of special courses adapted to suit the needs of this target group.
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