Kampala to host All-Africa meeting on girls’ education

The government of Uganda, together with UNICEF and the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), will host girls and educators from across Africa at the Nile Conference Centre in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, from 15-17 August for the launch of the Girls’ Education Movement and a debate with education ministers on the barriers that exclude girls from the education. The launch is to be attended by President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, as well as FAWE Executive Director Penina Mlama and youth delegates from throughout Africa. The Girls’ Education Movement was “a major effort to transform schools and education systems into environments where girls can achieve and have equal opportunities,” according to UNICEF. In the belief that girls’ education was one of the most effective development investments a country could make, the Forum would issue a Platform for Action on girls education, which would be personally delivered by President Museveni to the first ever UN Special Session on Children in the USA in September, it said. Among the major themes to be addressed at the Kampala conference are: girls’ safety and security at school and in surrounding areas; gender issues in and out of school that affect education, including the perpetuation of stereotyping and gender discrimination; African girls’ in Africa access to the technology revolution; the exclusion of children from education; issues of decentralisation and financing of school system; and a consideration of best practices. Together with a panel of experts, the ministers and students would discuss “creative and dynamic solutions for improvement,” according to UNICEF.