Geetha's Story

Educating girls offers extraordinary social and economic benefits to current and future generations. Yet, in many developing countries, poverty and the belief that cultivating a boy's mind is more important than educating a girl work hand in hand to keep girls out of school. Out of over 120 million children of primary school age not in school, the majority are girls. Geetha is one of these girls.

Geetha can barely read and write. The pretty 11 year old is the youngest child in a poor family living in rural India . She was pulled out of school two years ago because her father thought her time would be better spent looking after the family’s goats and doing the housework.

Geetha’s former teacher tried to convince Geetha’s father and the village elders to send girls like Geetha back to school. To no avail. “This is the way it has always been, and it will not change,” her father argued. “I didn’t study myself. We are simple people.” Government incentives in the form of books, scholarships, uniforms and even meals made no difference. A life long struggle to survive marked by poverty and ignorance has solidified their views.

The boys in the village attend school everyday. They pass by Geetha who walks the dried out narrow country road alongside her goats. “The boys tease me.” she says, her big eyes full of sadness “and I tell them, go, go, go to school”. She wished she could go with them. “When I was younger I thought, I’d study well and get a job. I really wanted to be a teacher. Now I just follow the goats."

Geetha has little hope for her own future. Like her mother, and her grandmother, she will spend her life working in the fields and around the house. She has seen the value of education however and has a different dream for her own children. “I will let my children study” she vows.

Perhaps it is also not too late for her. Many girls in India start school at a later age and with support from programmes organised by the Indian government and international and local institutions, she may yet one day join the boys on their daily walk to school.

How can you help?
Education is central to development. It empowers people, strengthens nations, and is key to attaining the Millennium Development Goals.

United Nations agencies like, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA and the World Bank work with national governments and numerous international and local organizations such as Save the Children and Learning for Life provide quality education for all children. Among key initiatives established by the UN to address the issue of girls education are the UN Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) and Education for All.

UNICEF has made girls education a priority with its campaigns “25 by 2005” and “Go Girls!.” The goal is to improve the quality and availability of education for girls in developing countries and raise public awareness and support as well as mobilize funds.