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On International Women¡¯s Day 2024, we are spotlighting, through stories and interviews, the urgent need for girls to go -- and #KeepGoing -- to secondary education, so they can reach their full potential and contribute to their countries¡¯ economies.

In Eastern and Southern Africa, close to 60% of girls are likely not to be enrolled in secondary school. She has more than a 20% chance of having a child as a teenager, and about a 30% chance of getting married before the age of 18. When she reaches working age, she will most likely work in the informal sector and earn significantly less than her male peers.  

While gender parity has largely been achieved in primary education, the enrollment gaps are wider in secondary education and especially in countries impacted by fragility, conflict, and violence. Even in countries that have adopted a Free Secondary Education Policy, access and enrollment have been stagnant for the last two decades. The time a young person enters secondary education is critical, as decisions taken in adolescence can have lasting effects into adulthood. 

Some of the barriers that prevent girls from completing secondary education include early marriage and childbearing, and restrictive social norms and laws.  Proximity to school and poverty are the two most important determinants of timely enrollment and completion for girls.

Reducing Barriers to Girls¡¯ Secondary Education

In Eastern and Southern Africa, all children and youth should have a chance to pursue their education, acquire skills and contribute to the sustainable development of the region. As a , if all gender gaps in employment globally were to be closed, long-term GDP per capita would be nearly 20% higher on average across countries. To ensure girls enroll and complete secondary education, countries need to reduce barriers by working across multiple sectors and providing incentives. Solutions include:

• Bringing learning closer to home by minimizing the distance to schools and/or providing digital solutions for homebased learning.
• Reducing gender-based violence in and on the way to school.
• Reducing the cost of education through cash transfers and scholarships for girls.
• Fostering positive attitudes toward girls' education and safe schools.
• Increasing access to childcare so that adolescent girls can remain in school, rather than taking care of their siblings or own children.

In its investments and research, the World Bank is increasingly focused on empowering adolescent girls and finding innovative ways to improve their chances of reaching economic success in adulthood. For example: 

• In Mozambique, a program called ¡°Eu Sou Capaz¡± is helping half a million girls stay in school through incentives, such as providing school uniforms and bicycles to girls in selected primary and secondary grades, and is providing life-skills training for girls who are out of school.
• In Ethiopia, over 5,000 schools have been equipped with essential Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) facilities and 223 dedicated Menstrual Hygiene Management rooms, improving school attendance due to safer and more reliable sanitation and water supply.
• , a project is working to improve safe and equitable access, particularly for girls, and teaching-learning conditions at secondary schools in selected provinces. This includes creating safe and inclusive school environments, strengthening curriculum and teaching-learning materials, as well as equipping girls and boys with digital skills needed to participate in tomorrow¡¯s economy.

Many more examples of successful programs are discussed in the stories below.

LEARN MORE

Gender Equality

• Advancing gender equality and women¡¯s empowerment in Angola through second-chance education
• Gender Divide: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work Across Africa
• Transforming the Lives of Women and Girls in Eastern and Southern Africa
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Girls Education

• Helping half a million girls stay in school in Mozambique
• Breaking Barriers: Empowering Girls with Clean Water and Sanitation Facilities in Ethiopia's Schools
• Empowering Girls and Enhancing Learning in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Jobs and Skills

• The impact of creating jobs and attracting investments? Economic Growth in Ethiopia
• From Trash to Trendy Shoes: Access to Business Training and Financing Transforms Waste into Profits
• Ethiopia: Helping Women Entrepreneurs Succeed, One Challenge at a Time
• Shaping the skills and jobs of youth in Mozambique: Technical and vocational training
• Exposure to STEM careers for Eswatini youth can contribute to closing the gender gap
• Preparing for Tomorrow: Developing Digital Skills in East African Youth
• Practical Skills and Hands-on Experience Mean Economic Transformation for East African Youth
• Creating employment opportunities for vulnerable youth in Kenya

Social Protection

• Uplifting Vulnerable South Sudanese Households through Safety Net Assistance
• Women Placed at the Heart of Social Protection Interventions as Real Agents of Change in Comoros