HC Deb 19 November 2002 vol 394 cc50-1W
Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education in developing countries; and what her Department's strategy is for meeting targets related to this. [80554]

Clare Short

According to the recently published EFA Global Monitoring Report, girls' enrolment in primary school in developing countries improved in the 1990s. The girls' Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) increased by 4 percentage points, from 91.8 per cent. in 1990 to 96.2 per cent. in 1999. The Gender Parity Index (GPI), which measures the ratio between girls' and boys' enrolment rates, improved from 0.86 to 0.92 in developing countries.

Gender-disaggregated data on secondary education is less readily available. The participation rates for girls are increasing, but where there are major gender disparities in primary education, this is amplified at the secondary level; hence some of the lowest levels of secondary enrolment for girls are in Central and West Africa.

We are collaborating with a variety of partners to accelerate progress for girls' education. We are working with the UN Girls' Education Initiative to ensure stronger co-ordination among donors at the global and the national level. We are supporting a partnership with the World bank and UNICEF to develop sustainable strategies for girls' education in several countries. We have built close links with the gender unit in the Education group at the World bank to foster better integration of gender issues with international education initiatives.

We have three initiatives under way to give greater support to DFID country advisers to address girls' education and mainstream it in their work. We have developed a manual on girls' education, which is currently being disseminated. We are working to provide gender modules for inclusion in existing training courses. We have improved access to key policy documents and practical tools by establishing a joint World bank/ UNICEF/DFID website (www.girlseducation.org).

We are also supporting southern civil society organisations, including the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) in four countries (Rwanda, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi).