At the World Education Forum in Incheon, Korea, representatives issued a declaration reaffirming the vision of Education for All, initiated in Jomtien in 1990 and reiterated in Dakar in 2000. The Education 2030 Declaration articulates a continued vision for achieving inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all.
This vision explicitly recognizes the importance of “gender equality in achieving the right to education for all and supporting gender-sensitive policies, planning and learning environments; mainstreaming gender issues in teacher training and curricula; and eliminating gender-based discrimination and violence in schools”.
SDG 4 commits the world to gender equality in education
More recently with the finalization of SDG indicators, there is now a universal and explicit commitment to mainstreaming gender equality in education as articulated by SDG indicator 4.7.1: “Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development, including gender equality and human rights, are mainstreamed at all levels in (a) national education policies, (b) curricula, (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment”.
Last month in Oslo, the Board of the Global Partnership for Education took a significant step to operationalizing these commitments by unanimously adopting the GPE’s first ever Gender Equality Policy and Strategy.
It was a privilege for me to contribute to the development of this policy and its action plan. As a member of the Northern civil society constituency of the GPE Board for the last five years, I have supported GPE’s evolution from the Fast Track Initiative to GPE and have championed and applauded stronger commitments to, and accountability for, equity and inclusion more broadly.
Partners come together to develop GPE’s new gender equality strategy
However, a lack of consistency remained in the way the partnership understood and mainstreamed gender equality in its processes and operations.
With the newly adopted strategy, GPE alongside Plan International, the United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) and other key partners will support the implementation of a combination of integrated and targeted approaches to mainstreaming gender equality.
Developing gender-responsive education sector plans
These aim to support a new generation of better educated and empowered girls and women, boys and men, promote more equal gender relations within education systems, and contribute to changes in gender norms and relations at school.
The policy will promote more gender responsive education sector plans (ESP). Sound and robust ESPs that are developed collaboratively by local education groups are an essential part of GPE’s core work and mandate.
When an ESP is gender-responsive, it means it is informed by an awareness of the effects of gender norms, roles, and relations as they impact education, and takes measures to actively reduce those effects on gender equality.
It also assesses girls’ and boys’ specific needs and interests, and works toward equal educational outcomes for girls and boys.
Plan International has a long-standing commitment to gender equality
Plan International has been advocating for the importance of analyzing and addressing gender equality issues through ESPs since the launch of our Because I Am a Girl (BIAAG) campaign in 2012. One of our priority policy recommendations is for ministries of Education to commit to undertaking gender reviews of their ESPs.
We further believe that strengthening sector plans to be more gender responsive should be a vital strategy and first step for governments in implementing and ultimately achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development agenda.
In 2013, Plan International Laos, in collaboration with the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports and with support from UNGEI, took a lead role in conducting a gender review as part of the mid-term education sector review and in preparation for Laos’ GPE grant application.
Recommendations from this assessment were included in Laos’ GPE project design and contributed to Laos successfully applying for a grant under GPE’s new funding model, which prioritizes top-up funding for initiatives that promote equity.
In 2014 as part of GPE’s Replenishment Conference, Plan International pledged to support countries in their efforts to undertake ESP gender reviews. This organizational commitment continues to be mandated and prioritized through our global BIAAG movement as it transitions into the 2030 Sustainable Development era and adopts a broader and bolder ambition for the realization of girls’ rights.
Key linkages between gender equality and education
Education plays a key role in realizing progress toward gender equality, empowering girls and boys to learn, lead, decide and thrive. At the same time, gender equality is indispensable to achieving educational goals that will make sustainable development possible.
Having a unanimously approved Gender Equality Policy and Action plan means that GPE is now in a position to truly promote more just and equal gender relations within education systems and societies.