文档介绍：Food and anization of the United Nations (FAO)
International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP/UNESCO)
Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)
With financial support from the Italian Development Cooperation,
the Norwegian Education Trust Fund and the World Bank
Ministerial Seminar
on
Education for Rural People in Africa: Policy Lessons, Options and Priorities
hosted by the Government of Ethiopia
7-9 September 2005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Gender and Education for Rural People
by Penina Mlama, Executive Director
Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE)
Working Document
September 2005
INTRODUCTION
Sub Sahara Africa is lagging behind other continents in achieving the Dakar Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is due to the enormous challenges the continent is facing in achieving development as a whole. Poverty, bad governance, conflict and the HIV/AIDS pandemic have made the task of raising the development levels of Africa even more difficult to plish.
It is acknowledged that most of the children out of school, the illiterate adults school dropouts are in Sub Sahara Africa.
It is also agreed that there are groups that are particularly disadvantaged in terms of access, retention and performance in education. These include the poor, rural populations, the physically challenged, orphans and people in armed conflict and post conflict situations.
Both boys and girls in these categories are affected. However, due to the unequal socio-economic gender construct in most African societies, the scale of disadvantages is tipped more against girls and women. Numerous studies have illustrated this situation to the point that education policy makers and practitioners have been forced to accept that there are serious gender disparities in education that call for urgent action if Africa is to be counted among those who will have achieved the EFA and MD goals by 2015.
The factors behind the gen