UNESCO and the Equitable Education Alliance (EEA) to co-host 10th EEA Meeting Webinar

The Equitable Education Alliance (EEA; est. 2020), co-chaired by the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and the Equitable Education Fund of Thailand, is a community of organizations, government ministries, agencies, and NGOs advocating a more inclusive and equitable educational system in the region, while simultaneously enhancing the performance of existing equitable education organizations at all levels.

The EEA convenes four meetings annually to discuss and improve equity in education through collaborative efforts. A total of 19 countries^[1] and 23 local and international organizations^[2] have participated in these meetings, to date, mutually sharing the expertise they are applying to the promotion and fostering of equity in education systems locally and regionally.

Over the last several decades, the global education landscape has become more gender-equitable, a development evidenced by the increasing establishment of related laws and policies worldwide to that effect, as well as the rising literacy level among females. By 2022, 109 countries had ratified the 1960 UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education, with 62 per cent of the 196 countries constitutionally and/or legally guaranteeing the right to education without discrimination, and with 56 per cent explicitly mentioning ‘sex’ or ‘gender’ as a prohibited ground of discrimination.^[3] Between 2015 and 2020, it is reported that young men aged 15 to 24, on average, have achieved a literacy rate of 90 per cent, while women of the same age range are reflecting a rate of 88 per cent. Globally, then, two-thirds of countries today are approaching gender parity in literacy.^[4]

Notwithstanding the advances cited above, gender inequality within educational settings remains prevalent in many countries, and numerous challenges exist to achieving gender-transformative education systems. Many girls and women worldwide currently remain at risk of being excluded from education, due primarily to poverty and unequal gender norms. For instance, despite educational improvements made over the past two decades, Afghanistan continues to lag behind the world average, exhibiting the lowest literacy rates and a substantial gender gap. As of 2018, the disparity remained stark, with 80 per cent of Afghan women qualifying as functionally illiterate, by comparison to 51 per cent of Afghan men.^[5] Moreover, the seismic political upheaval in 2021 has only exacerbated the situation, since 2022 resulting in the denial of access to education for girls and women entirely. Beyond the dramatic circumstances in Afghanistan, more than 20 countries predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa have recently reported that less than 10 per cent of young women living in rural areas have completed upper secondary school.^[6] This underscores a broader challenge in providing educational opportunities for young women, especially in regions facing socio-economic constraints. The general lack of proper sanitation facilities available to female students is another negative contributing factor. Indeed, females commonly report missing school during their menstruation in many countries, among them Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, and Nigeria, where basic services and inclusive infrastructure are not guaranteed in schools.^[7]

Failing to provide girls with knowledge concerning sexuality during their formative years may also exert a negative impact on their continuity in education. While comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is conducive to forming children’s values and behaviours related to health and relationships, only 16 among 28 countries in Asia and the Pacific teach sexuality education as a mandatory subject at the primary level.^[8] The absence of early sexuality education could potentially result in child marriage and early pregnancy. These issues, coupled with gender-based violence and the traditional caregiving roles and responsibilities commonly bestowed on females living among larger families exemplify societal norms which impede girls’ access to, and completion of their education,^[9] thus compounding a host of challenges already faced in ensuring their education.

In addition to such factors, gender-biased teaching materials, practices, and the stereotypical expectations of many educators can discourage the inclusion of men or women across all fields of study, making it challenging to create inclusive learning environments or to develop gender-transformative pedagogies. Persistent gender gaps in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, as well as digital skills, are largely fueled by stereotypes. This has the effect of hindering females from attaining high-paying jobs, thus perpetuating occupational segregation. Simultaneously, a gender divide in the ability to utilize information and communication technologies (ICT) and access to the internet further hinders girls and women from attaining digital inclusion. Recent global reports have shown that 374 million women remained unconnected by the end of 2020; in addition, 234 million fewer women than men could access the mobile internet,^[10] emphasizing the need to urgently address such disparities. 

Advancing gender equity in education is crucial for achieving SDG 4, emphasizing inclusive and equitable quality education for all; and SDG 5, which speaks of the need to attain gender equality. It is also critically important to increase investment in women’s and girls’ education for furthering social advancements. Research shows that ‘targeted investment in women’s and girls’ education may lead to reduction in the rate of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET), given that an increase as little as 1 per cent in reading proficiency results in a greater decrease of the NEET rate among girls (36 per cent) than boys (14 per cent).^[11]

The EEA, as well as comparable other education stakeholders, aspires to fulfilling commitments on gender equality in the Call to Action on gender from the UN Transforming Education Summit of 2023^[12]; hence the 10th EEA Meeting will highlight the theme ‘Equity in Education for Women and Girls’ as it applies to the national and local levels. The Meeting will consist of two parts, namely a public session and a closed-door, ‘EEA-member-only’ session. The 10th EEA Meeting also aims to summarize the successes, challenges and general reflections of EEA in 2023, and to initiate potential collaborative opportunities by identifying points of contact which might together act as a basis for the further development of EEA itself, and for the development of key EEA activities and the monitoring of their progress in 2024.

As an ongoing complement to the annual EEA meetings, the Equitable Education Hub (EquityEdHub, or EEH) was launched in 2022 as a knowledge-sharing hub expressly intended to 1) enable learners from around the world to readily access digital content on several topics pertaining the EEA’s goals towards improving equity in education through collaborative efforts; and 2) provide substantive and technical support to those in need. 

^{[1] Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Panama, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, and Viet Nam.}

^{[2] Australian Education Research Organization (AERO), Educate A Child (EAC), Educational Endowment Foundation, Equitable Education Fund (EEF) Thailand, Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), National Institute for Lifelong Education (NILE), Pratham Education Foundation, Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE), Prakerja, Promise Neighborhoods, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), Save the Children Nepal, SIL International, UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), UNHCR Pakistan, UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO), UNICEF Nepal, UNICEF Thailand, VVOB – Education for Development, and World Bank.}

^{[3] UNESCO. 2023. Inclusion and gender equality: brief on inclusion in education. P.4.}

^{[4] UNESCO. 2023. Empowering women for the good of society: gender-based resilience. Pp.34--35.}

^{[5] UNESCO. 2021. The right to education: what’s at stake in Afghanistan? A 20-year review. P.17.} 

^{[6] UNESCO. 2023. Inclusion and gender equality: brief on inclusion in education. P.4.} 

^{[7] Ibid.} 

^{[8] UNFPA, UNESCO, IPPF. 2021. LEARN. PROTECT. RESPECT. EMPOWER. The Status of Comprehensive Sexuality Education In Asia-pacific: A Summary Review 2020} 

^{[9] UNESCO. 2022. G7 global objectives on girls’ education: Baseline report. P.39.} 

^{[10] UN Women. 2023. GENDER ANALYSIS IN TECHNICAL AREAS: Digital Inclusion. P.6.} 

^{[11] UNESCO. 2023. Empowering women for the good of society: gender-based resilience. Pp.12-13.} 

^{[12] Leave no one behind: gender equality in Transforming Education Summit national commitments} 

Public Session

1. Examine the current status of inclusive education specifically for women and girls. Share good practices and relevant policies aimed at guaranteeing girls and women access to education and the achievement of progressive learning outcomes. Investigate practical approaches for various stakeholders, including government entities, educational institutions, and educators, to foster a gender-transformative education system.
2. Discuss recent strides in improving female literacy, highlighting both achievements and persistent obstacles in eliminating sex disparities in education. Share insights into existing gender-based educational barriers, such as entrenched social stereotypes and emerging challenges such as the digital divide between male and female students.
3. Evaluate the progression of SDG 4 and SDG 5 on national, regional and global scales by providing key performance indicators. Reiterate the importance of reducing gender-based discrimination as a fundamental step toward inclusive and equitable education and the realization of SDG Targets by 2030. Explore effective strategies for regularly monitoring and assessing progress in gender parity within educational settings. 

Closed-Door Session (EEA members only)

1. Report and discuss the progress of identified activities by lead organizations, and share general reflections of EEA in 2023.
2. Discuss the EEA's development plans, strategies, and expectations in 2024.
3. Discussion of the preparations of the 3rd ‘All For Education’ (AFE) conference in October 2024 to create an action plan for the 11th EEA Meeting of 2024.

Thursday, 29 February 2024, online webinar, 13.30–14.45 (UTC+7)

Zoom Link for registration  

Please register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the proceedings. Note: The capacity of the Zoom meeting is 500 participants on a first come, first-served basis.

The 10th EEA Meeting will be live-streamed on the EEH Facebook page in English, and on the EEF Thailand Facebook page in Thai. This is a bilingual session with a Thai translation service provided throughout the programme.

Mr Papol Dhutikraikraing
Associate Project Officer
Literacy and Lifelong Learning Team
UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok
p.dhutikraikriang(at)unesco.org and please copy eisd.bgk(at)unesco.org

Ms Yuner Lin
Trainee
Literacy and Lifelong Learning Team
UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok
yu.lin(at)unesco.org and please copy eisd.bgk(at)unesco.org

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