Investing in girls’ education is a game-changer for everyone – and one of the smartest investments we can make. It boosts incomes, develops economies and creates healthier and safer societies. With just one additional school year, a woman’s earnings can increase by a fifth. A child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to live beyond the age of five years, twice as likely to attend school themselves – and 50% more likely to be immunised. In Rwanda, schools have closed early this year as families stay home to reduce transmission of Covid-19. We know that even short interruptions to children’s schooling can have long term negative effects on their learning. The UK feels privileged to be part of the significant effort to ensure that children can continue their learning through radio, TV and, in some cases, online lessons. These classes have made a huge difference. However, not all children have access to the right technology or have parents who are able to support their learning. In the most vulnerable communities, many children are engaging in domestic work or income generating activities to help their families manage the shock caused by the pandemic. Rwanda is not alone in this. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted all our lives. At the height of school closures, 1.6 billion children and young people were out of education. Girls face unique challenges because of Covid-19. The pandemic is disproportionally affecting girls as it compounds the many obstacles they already face to getting a quality education like poverty, gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, child marriage, and a lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services. So, we must act. This month’s Global Education Summit comes at a critical moment. On 28-29th July the UK, together with Kenya, and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) will bring world leaders together aiming to raise $5 billion over the next five years to transform education in the world’s most vulnerable countries. This will give 175 million more children the chance to learn, improving their lives and transforming millions of communities for the better. Rwanda has made huge strides in achieving gender parity in school enrolment. Thousands of newly built schools and classrooms will further expand and improve education provision for all. But even before the pandemic, gaps started to emerge between girls and boys once they hit secondary education. Once we add the effect of the pandemic, there is now a real risk of a lost generation of girls. To tackle this challenge in Rwanda, the Government is developing a Girls’ Education Policy, which will be critical to addressing girls’ needs and ensuring that targeted interventions are in put in place to support them. Ongoing awareness raising and training in schools is also essential. The UK’s education programme, Building Learning Foundations, works to support Rwandan girls and boys across all primary and secondary schools; helping teachers to deliver targeted back to school campaigns, training them in gender-sensitive teaching methods and spotting additional measures needed to deliver on every girls’ right to a quality education. The funding we raise from the Global Education Summit will go to the Global Partnership for Education, the largest partnership and fund dedicated to transforming education in lower-income countries. This will mean practical support for education in 90 countries and territories around the world, including Rwanda. Since 2007 Rwanda has received over $200 million in support of the Government’s Education Sector Strategic Plan to help improve learning outcomes and modernise school infrastructure. The UK has pledged of £430m of new UK aid for GPE. As we approach the Global Summit, the UK looks forward to seeing Rwanda and other countries announce ambitious domestic financing commitments that will reach the goal of spending 20% of domestic budgets on education. By working together to give all girls the chance to complete 12 years of quality education we will lift people out of poverty, grow economies, save lives, and build back better from Covid-19. The writer is the Development Director at the British High Commission in Rwanda
