Girls count too

A new Commonwealth publication on education and gender was launched in a side event during the 52^nd UN session on the Commission on the Status of Women in New York on 25 February, 2007.

The handbook ‘Gender in Primary and Secondary Education’ is part of the Secretariat’s series on gender integration, which looks at how a society or organisation can work towards achieving gender equality through policies and programmes.

The book’s author, Dr Ramya Subrahmanian, a social policy specialist at UNICEF, India argues that there is a pressing need for leadership beyond bureaucracies if gender equality in education is to be achieved.

This is particularly relevant in the Commonwealth, where about 30 million children do not go to primary school and the majority of these are girls. Progress has been made in closing the gender gap, particularly in primary education, but disparities still exist in secondary and higher education.

Dr Jyotsna Jha, Adviser in gender and education for the Secretariat, points out that gender differentiations in society and in education affect both boys and girls: “Both try to conform to typical gender roles and stereotypes, which hinder the development of their full potential,” she says.

“This handbook should be useful to all those trying to work towards bringing greater gender equality in and through education.”

Dr Jha spoke at this conference side event on Financing Gender in Education, which was organised by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) in partnership with the UNICEF Gender and Rights Unit and Education Section and the Working Group on Girls of the NGO Committee on UNICEF.

The event brought together experts from the partnership for girls’ education and addressed the constraints faced by girls, the challenges of mobilising additional resources for girls’ education and the concept and relevance of gender responsive budgeting in education.

The Commonwealth Secretariat, which is part of the UNGEI Global Advisory Committee, launched the new publication at the discussion, which also included panellists from the World Bank, UNGEI and World Vision.

The Commission on the Status of Women is the principal international policy making body dedicated to gender equality. Representatives of member states meet each year at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

HOW TO ORDER

This title can be bought through booksellers or online at http://publications.thecommonwealth.org/gender-in-primary-and-secondary-education-482-p.aspx

A full catalogue of Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Foundation publications can be viewed on the website, which provides a secure online buying facility. Orders can also be made through e-mail or by post. Pre-payment is essential. Payment by sterling cheque drawn on a UK bank, international money order, postal order or bank draft must accompany your order. Cheques should be made out to York Publishing Services.

If you require the order form as an attachment in Word format please e-mail the Publications Section (see address below). Post and packaging charges should be added to every order in the following way: UK orders: 15 per cent of order value (minimum charge £2.00). Non-UK orders: 25 per cent of order value (minimum charge £3.50).

Send orders to: Publications Section, Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6534; Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081; E-mail: publications@commonwealth.int

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• Gender
• Education

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