National Council for Social Studies Standards:

II. Time, Continuity, and Change

III. Peoples, Places and Environments

IV. Individual Development and Identity

V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

VI. Power, Authority, and Governance

IX. Global Connections

X. Civic Ideals and Practices

Transferable Concepts/Links:

Human Rights, Education, Culture and Civilization, Status of Women and Children, Developing World, Poverty, Survival, Religious, Social and Political forms of Prosecution, Social Reform, Gender Roles, Public Health, International Cooperation, Collaboration, Civil Society, Humanitarian Agencies, NGOs (non-governmental organizations).

Course Connections:

Global Studies

Current Events

Geography

Economics

History
Social Studies

Equipment and Materials:

Television

Computer with access to the Internet
'What's Going On? Girls' Education in India. Sonia Braga travels to India to explore how girls are typically educated in this country that is home to one billion people.

Convention on the Rights of the Child http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/k2crc.htm

Activity 1:

Ask students what are the most important things in life.

1. Ask students to think about the many jobs people have in their community and make a list of their responses. Ask students if some of these jobs are typically done by men and/or women. Categorize the occupations into two separate lists.

2. Ask students what type of chores they are required to do at home. Are some of the chores typically done by men or women? Which ones? Why do you think some chores are typically done by girls and some by boys? Is the division of these jobs fair? Why do you think our society has different jobs for men and women? (Girls: cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry, watching siblings, cleaning, etc. Boys: taking out the garbage, lawn care, taking care of the cars).

3. Are there jobs that students wish they could do but cannot because the opposite gender typically does it? How does that make them feel?

4. Ask students why schooling is required and necessary?

5. Ask students to consider how they would feel if their parents told them that there are too many chores to be done around the house and they wouldn't be able to go to school? Imagine if the daughters in the family had to fetch water for cooking and cleaning everyday. Imagine if you had to walk to the market everyday to buy food for the family to eat. Imagine if you had to collect wood for a fire to cook food on? Imagine if you had to care for your younger siblings all day because your mother was too busy with other responsibilities. Imagine you had to do this everyday.

When a family's survival depends on these tasks being completed, ask students what would happen if they do not get done? If this were the case in your house, would you have time to go to school all day?

Students can respond to this question in written format or in a group discussion.

6. Explain that there are many reasons why children, particularly girls, don't go to school.

Poverty: some families do not have enough money to afford school fees or the cost of uniforms and school supplies. Families in this predicament may need children to work to contribute to the family income or do house hold chores so the parents can work.

Safety: some families keep their children at home because the school is too far away and children can't make the journey twice a day. Getting to school might also be dangerous, particularly for young, vulnerable girls who might encounter harassment or violence.

Local Traditions: In some cultures around the world boys are given priority when funds for education are limited. Girls may be forced to marry young, drop out of school and dedicate themselves to housework.

Emergencies: During times of conflict, crisis and times of natural disasters, millions of children do not attend proper schools.

7. Ask student to hypothesize why the education of girls might be important.
Answers could include:

- A girl who goes to school and stays there is much more likely to postpone marriage and childbirth.

- Educated women provide better health care for themselves and their children, meaning lower maternal and infant mortality rates.

- The more time girls spend in schools, the more likely they are to be mothers who are healthy, well nourished, economically empowered and resourceful.

- Schooling for girls helps reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS

Activity 2:

1. Hand out copies of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 1989, world leaders decided that children under 18 years of age often need special care that adults do not. The Convention is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate a full range of human rights such as civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights for children.

The Convention is an international document negotiated by Member States at the United Nations. Every Member State of the United Nations has ratified (or adopted) the treaty except the United States and Somalia, who have only signed it.

The Convention offers a vision of the child as an individual and as a member of a family and community, with rights and responsibilities appropriate to his or her age and stage of development. By recognizing children's rights in this way, the Convention firmly sets the focus on the whole child.

Madeline Albright, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, signed the Convention in 1995. However, the United States Constitution requires that such documents receive a two-thirds approval by the Senate to be adopted. There are some articles in the Convention that the US Senate has yet to come to an agreement on.

Ask Students:
What is the difference between ratifying and signing a treaty?
Why do you think the United States has not adopted the Convention?

Answers can include:
a. Signing does not create a binding legal obligation but does demonstrate the State's intent to examine the treaty domestically and consider ratifying it. Ratification signifies an agreement by the state to be legally bound by the terms of the treaty.

b. Some US legislators feel that the provisions or certain articles of the Convention could interfere with the role of parents in their children's lives.

The Convention is the most widely supported international treaty because nations, organizations and individuals realize that the future of humanity is in the hands of our children.

2. Share these facts with your students:

UNFPA

http://www.unfpa.org/icpd/10/icpd_ed.htm

2. The Convention says that all children have the right to a good primary education and should have equal access to secondary education. Ask students to identify and highlight which Articles of the Convention refer to education for all.

Answers are: 3, 6, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 37 and 39

Ask students to rephrase the Articles 3, 6, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 37 and 39 for an in class discussion.

Note to teacher: Students should hold onto their copies of the Convention for further use during other "What's Going On?" lessons. Use the following initials to indicate which articles are violated in each lesson. [Child Soldiers (CS), HIV/AIDS (AIDS), Refugees (RF), Child Labor (CL), Landmines (LM), Girl's Education (GED), Indigenous People (IP), Northern Ireland (NI), Poverty in America (PA), Street Children (SC).

3. Two of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) outline a global commitment to get more girls into classrooms.

Included in these goals are those that address education.
MDG 2: 'Achieve universal and primary education.'
MDG 3: 'Promote gender equality and empower women.'

Activity 3:

1. Screen the documentary "What's Going On?" Girls' Education in India. The host, Sonia Braga, travels to India to explore how girls are typically educated in a country that is home to more than a billion people.

2. Ask students to site the challenges Aarti, Geetha and Leala face. Ask students to respond emotionally to the experience of the young people in the film.

3. Ask students to imagine what it might be like to live as one of the characters. What would their challenges and fears be?

Activity 4:

1. Ask students to list ways that might make it easier for families to send girls to school?

Some answers might include:
o Eliminate schools fees and other costs associated with education.
o Improve the quality of education to keep girls interested.
o Provide alternative schooling for girls affected by HIV/AIDS, conflict and natural disasters.
o Expand girls' secondary school opportunities.
o Provide sanitation facilities for girls to protect their privacy.
o Engage men and civic groups as advocates for girls' education.
o Increase government support for girls' education in the developing world.

2. Many NGOs and members of civil society work hard to help girls receive an education.

a. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) works to raise awareness and promote the education of children worldwide.

b. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works with families and communities to provide education and vocational training for youth around the world. UNCEF also works implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
(See below for more organizations)

4. Discuss ways that students can help more children around the world attend school.

Activity5

1. Write a response to the lesson's focus questions: Why is it a global problem if girls are not educated?

2. Have students read the personal stories of Aarti, Leela and Geetha at www.un.org/works. Identify the reasons why children end up in such predicaments. Ask students to respond to the question: What would you do if you were in the same situation as these girls?

3. Research and report on the activities of NGO's that are working to promote education.

The International Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
http://www.child-soldier.org

The U.S. Campaign to Ban the Use of Child Soldiers
http://www.us-childsoldiers.org

Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/crp/index.htm

Kids Can Free the Children

Amnesty International - Child Soldiers
http://www.amnestyusa.org/children/soldiers

One World

Office of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict
http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/English/ChildSoldiers.html

Rapper Emanuel Jal's Trip to Peace
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4950821

4. Students should be able to form their own groups and contribute to the global effort to increase the number of girls and primary aged children that are in school. Divide students into groups of 3-5 and have them come up with the following:

1. A group name and logo
2. The group's mandate and mission statement
3. Long and short term goals for the group
4. Other organizations to collaborate with
5. Come up with a PR campaign to inform the school and public about their organization

Learn More

The UN Millennium Development Goals
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

Agriculture and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/GMIS/home.do?siteId=2

Websites

UNICEF - Basic education and gender equality http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation/index.php

UNESCO: Celebrating women and girl's education

http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46095&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

United Nations Girls' Education Initiative http://www.ungei.org/

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

The UN Millennium Development Goals
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

Girls' Education: World Bank http://web.worldbank.org/WEBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTEDUCATION/0,,
contentMDK:20298916~menuPK:617572~page
PK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:282386,00.html

Education: Basic & Girls' Education: Care http://www.care.org/careswork/whatwedo/education/basic.asp

Girls Learn International http://www.girlslearninternational.org/

The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) http://www.crin.org/about/index.asp

Girls' Education Monitoring System (GEMS) http://www.educategirls.com/

Academy for Educational Development http://www.aed.org/Education/International/girls.cfm

World Learning for International Development http://www.worldlearning.org/wlid/education/projects_cage.html

The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) http://www.camfed.org

Net Aid http://www.netaid.org/global_poverty/girls-education/

Radio

Attacks on Schools Imperil Afghan Girls' Education
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5258520
Putting girls back in school after the fall of the Taliban was a top priority for the international community. But five years after the initial boost in numbers of girls in school, attendance has plummeted, as attacks increase dramatically on schools for young women.

The Missed Education of African Girls
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5627794
Girls remain woefully outnumbered in African schools. They make up nearly 60 percent of the children who should be in school but in fact don't attend. Part of the problem is economic, but much of the reason remains rooted in societies that undervalue girls and, in some cases, abuse them. These problems are prevalent in Malawi, but there's some progress as well.

Girls Return to School in Afghanistan
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1573463
Children in Afghanistan are returning to school, especially girls who were forbidden to attend during the rule of the Taliban. Nishat Kurwa of Youth Radio reports that education is reaching young women in Kabul.

IMF, World Bank Pledge Focus on Women's Education
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1851370
The 184-nation International Monetary Fund and World Bank wrap up their spring meetings with a pledge to focus on the need to support and enhance education, especially for women, in the developing world.

Easing Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5634432

Afghan Women
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1130779
As it swept through Afghanistan, the Taliban instituted its interpretation of strict Islamic law, which included a ban on women working or going to school. Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, had been one of the country's most liberal cities where many women were professionals-lawyers, doctors, teachers-and did not wear a veil. Today, it is only in the five percent of the country controlled by the opposition that women are still free to work and study.

The Long Road to Recovery in Southern Sudan
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5162351
Southern Sudan is at peace for the first time in more than two decades. During Sudan's bloody, 21-year civil war, a group of American women working with war victims promised to build a girl's school in Akon, a remote village in Southern Sudan. Now, they're fighting to deliver on that promise.

Yemeni Women
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1035493
NPR's Anne Garrels reports on women's right in Yemen. After the unification of the country in 1990, the country adopted a new constitution which feminists consider a model for the Muslim world. But even though they have more formal rights than many other women in Islamic countries, more women in Yemen live in poverty and without education than in neighboring countries.

UN Special Conference on Women
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1075029
NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports on this week's United Nations Special Conference on Women. New research by the World Bank concludes that one of the best ways to fight world hunger and encourage global economic growth is to educate girls and women.

Books

Daughters of the Tharu: Gender, Ethnicity, Religion and the Education of Nepali Girls

This book explores the complex relationships that govern girls' educational participation in Nepal. The first part is a case study focusing exclusively on one village's experiences in Nepal and is considered a point of entry into the educational decision-making process. The second part approaches the problems of girls' education in South Asia from the documentary, statistical and archival angle. Here the scope of the study is broadened beyond Nepal to include the South Asia Region.

What Works In Girls' Education? Evidence And Policies From The Developing World

The persistent problem of the tens of millions of children across the developing world who grow up without receiving the most basic education has attracted increased public attention in recent years. This crisis is acute in rural and poor areas of sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. More than 180 governments have committed to addressing this crisis by pledging that every boy and girl will receive a quality basic education by 2015. This target is now firmly established and endorsed as one of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

How Schools Shortchange Girls: The Aauw Report : A Study of Major Findings on Girls and Education

Parents, teachers and policymakers receive a study, which presents major findings on girls and education, documenting exactly how and why schools shortchange girls in the educational process. Research is specific and reaches beyond generalities to document exactly how girls and boys learn and what the differences are in their classroom experiences.

Repositioning Feminism & Education: Perspectives on Educating for Social Change

Girls and Exclusion

Girls and Young Women in Education: A European Perspective

Teta, Mother, and Me: Three Generations of Arab Women

Growing Up in Kenya: Rural Schooling and Girls

The State of the World's Children, 2004: Girls, Education And Development

What Works in Girls' Education By Barbara Herz
http://www.cfr.org/publication.html?id=6947

Articles

Free school for one-girl families
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4272286.stm
The Indian government says it will reward girls from single child families with free education and other benefits.

Girls missing out on education
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4328911.stm
Girls in the developing world are still missing out on school, says the Save the Children charity.

Speaking Up for Girls' Education
http://www.usaid.gov/gn/education/news/girls/

Girls' Education Campaign in Turkey (article from: UN Chronicle)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ALT8KM/sr=8-42/qid=1156265945/ref=sr_1_42/102-7197679-9674501?ie=UTF8

South Asian conference on education stresses rights of every girl and boy (article from: One Country)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00082E3VC/ref=sr_11_1/102-7197679-9674501?ie=UTF8

Global Lesson on Girls' Education Promises to Break World Record
http://www.netaid.org/press/releases/2003/page.jsp?itemID=27003430

UN launches new programme for girls' education in West and Central Africa
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=18157&Cr=MDGs&Cr1=#

Global Education of Girls Is Key to Development
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/663/context/archive

Films

Daughters of Afghanistan
http://www.choices.web.aplus.net/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&
Store_Code=CV&Product_Code=CH7021DVD&Attributes=Yes&Quantity=1

Don't Ask Why
A videotape by Sabiha Sumar; Pakistan/Germany, 1999, 58 minutes, Color, VHS, Subtitled
http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c539.shtml

5 Girls
A film by Kartemquin Educational Films; 2001, 113 minutes, Color, VHS

Girls Still Dream, Ahlam El Banat
A videotape by Ateyyat El Abnoudy; Egypt, 1995
http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c400.shtml

Anwara from Bonbari: A Village in Bangladesh
Anwara is lucky to be able to go school. She is the only girl in her school; the other girls have to stay at home to help their families. Typical rural activities such as farming, weaving, cooking, women's study groups, friendships and the arrival of a new pump for the village are shown.
Country: Bangladesh; 1990, English

Girls' Education: Benefits and Constraints
From Malaysia to Pakistan, from Mali to the Dominican Republic numerous obstacles hamper the development of women, from family planning to the availability of work. Basic education reduces the inequalities facing these girls, and enables them to join in the socio-economic development of their country.
Producer: Creative Associates USA
1990, English, French, Spanish, Arabic

Where To?
Although a descendant of Queens Hatchepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra, an Egyptian country girl is likely to grow up without the benefit of education. This video, made up of interviews of villagers, relates how women are perceived mainly in the context of child rearing and family caring. High drop-out and early marriage perpetuate the situation. 77 percent of rural women in Egypt are still illiterate.
Country: Egypt, Producer: UNICEF 1990

Invisible Voices: Girls' Education in the Gambia
In 1993 the World Bank sent a multidisciplinary team to Kachaba in The Gambia to study girls' education and find out why more girls do not attend school or continue past primary level. This film shows how a PRA (Participatory Rule and Appraisal) study was conducted within the community, the willingness of the villagers to participate, and the results.
Producer: The World Bank; 1993, English

Womanhood and Media Education
The Women in Media Project in Papua New Guinea.The film begins with a short history of the domination of women in the country. Despite having adopted an educational policy based on that of Australia after independence in 1975 little has yet been achieved in raising quality of life for women. Now several women's groups run media education workshops whose conclusions stress the lack of dissemination of information, lack of communication among PNG women, limited opportunities for them in decision and policy making, lack of relevant information and guidelines on portrayal of women in the media, need for training, training materials, and equal participation leading to integral human development so as to yield a better quality of life for women.
Producer: PNG Women in Media; 1993 English