A topic on girls’ education may provoke varied thoughts in the minds of different individuals. Some people may remember a girl who could not attend primary school due to financial or other reasons. Another person’s mind may get inundated with images of smiling girls attending primary school. Both these scenarios are true.
However, a lesser-known fact is that they make up a minuscule element of the actual situation regarding girl’s education. A decade ago, only a few girls could complete primary school. But thanks to measures like girls scholarships aiming to advance girls’ education, much of the earlier challenges in this field have been met.
Here are more ways women from less affluent backgrounds can acquire the skills they need to succeed in today’s competitive world.
Focus on Early Childhood Development (ECD)
A strong foundation paves the way for future growth. Hence, there’s a need to provide girls with a robust foundation through ECD. ECD programmes develop the cognitive, behavioural, and technical skills that will enable them to achieve high productivity later on in their life. Areas like stimulation, nutrition, and fundamental cognitive skills are focussed on ECD programmes. Various studies have monitored its outcome in girls and found that they had 42 per cent higher earnings than those not a part of such a program.
Making Educational Institutions Accessible for Females
There remains an absence of high-quality schools for girls. It’s especially true of the rural areas. Girls are unable to get any opportunities in villages. The few schools that are there have poor infrastructure. They don’t have optimal security measures, and classrooms are not equipped with the right furniture to aid learning. Thus, today, there’s a need to impart safe and secure schools for girls.
Promote Education through Scholarships
Females in higher education, particularly STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), are underrepresented. Girls scholarships for those who display a high academic potential but have a low socioeconomic status increase their likelihood of attaining career success in the future. Scholarships for girls are an appropriate way to enable them to continue their studies in different fields, which have been associated with males. It’s also a suitable way to make them retain their interest in education.
Vocational Training for Females
This kind of training aids adolescent girls to earn not only income but also forge practical life skills. The economic advancement of girls is often hindered due to insufficient policy frameworks and unequal gender norms. For a proper financial strategy, it is crucial to connect workforce development and employment techniques with market demands and opportunities. Vocational training programmes should help females build their technical and soft skills and lift their families from poverty.
Promote Flexible Labour Market
Societies must promote secure and flexible labour markets. There’s a need to provide intermediation services for firms and workers to convert skills into actual employment. It matters more for girls as they always have limited access to opportunities. They should get knowledge about how markets work. For example, women shown videos of females working in male-dominated occupations like auto repair and are informed about their high wages are more likely to enrol themselves in training for such fields.
When making girls ready for the 21st-century world, it is essential to emphasise relevant skills and knowledge. Given above are some actionable ways to support women from financially disadvantaged backgrounds in becoming independent and at par with others in society.
