28 May 2008
On the eve of the formal opening of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said the achievement of gender equality and parity must start with the girl child, who has been left behind in receiving the education that is required for competing, and contributing to Africa's development.
Too often, the President observed, the girl child has accompanied the mother in the fields and market places and neglected in favor of the boy child when resources are inadequate to send all to school.
Addressing a symposium Tuesday on Africa's Development and Girls' Education, the President also spoke of the plight of the African girl child, who often gets married off too young, most times involuntarily. The Liberian leader noted, however, that efforts are being taken by her Government to address the imbalances.
The Government, she said, has responded by abolishing tuition and fees for public primary schools and significantly reduced tuition and fees for public and secondary schools, leading to a 44 percent increase in school enrollment.
Government, the President said, is also providing access to 830, 000 children, the majority of whom are girls, rebuilding and reopening schools nationwide, immunizing over 95 percent of children under five and has passed a tough rape law with offenders subject to life imprisonment.
In addition to measures already taken by Government to increase female enrollment in primary schools, the President said private resources have also been mobilized to support girls' education and women's literacy. She named the establishment of the Liberia Education Trust (LET), which is providing funding to build 50 schools, train 500 teachers and provide 5,000 scholarships to girls.
Over one-third of the goal, the President said, has been achieved, with resources of over US $2 million dollars mobilized through private donations. An added component of the program, says an Executive Mansion dispatch, is geared towards literacy for over 10,000 market women.
President Sirleaf noted, however, that inspite of these efforts, progress in achieving the education and gender parity goals depend not just on providing education, but also on addressing the obstacles that prevent children, especially girls, from starting or completing school.
"These include poverty, child labor, child trafficking, poor infrastructure, mothers lacking education, gender violence, rape and civil conflict," the Liberian President pointed out. Quoting UNICEF estimates, President Sirleaf painted a challenging picture of efforts towards achieving Millennium Development Goal 2, which sets 2015 as the year to achieve universal equal primary education. Progress, she admitted, will not be enough to achieve universal equal primary education.
Other speakers at the opening session of the symposium included Japan's Senior Vice Minister, who welcomed efforts by the Liberian President to place more emphasis on girls' education. She spoke of a direct link between child mortality and literacy, adding, 'the more a woman is educated, the better the chances for child survival.'
It is important, she said, that health education is taken seriously, as she called on developed countries to help tackle the disparity in girls' education.
The Symposium on Africa's Development and Girls' Education was hosted by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports Science and Technology, as part of discussions focusing on TICAD IV. It was attended by leaders and representatives of women groups from Africa and Asia.
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