Policy Brief 鈥� September 2024
Written By: Aisha Cooper Bruce, Gender and Advocacy Consultant
Overview
The National Policy on Girls鈥� Education (NPGE 2021 鈥� 2026) aims to provide adequate access to affordable and quality education and promote gender equity and equality through the educational system.
The key purpose of the NPGE is to 鈥渆stablish guiding principles in Liberia鈥檚 endeavors to eliminate gender disparity and identify priorities for government and stakeholder action鈥�.
鈥淭o ensure gender equality, education systems must act explicitly to eliminate gender bias and discrimination resulting from social and cultural attitudes and practices and economic status.鈥� 鈥擡ducation 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action, UNESCO, 2015 As we commit to promoting gender equity and equality in education, it is imperative to create educational environments that not only improve access for girls but also challenge and change the structural inequalities that hinder their progress. Gender-transformative initiatives in education seek to not only increase girls鈥� access to education but to fundamentally shift the power dynamics, social norms, and systemic barriers that disadvantage girls.
By addressing underlying inequalities and fostering environments where girls can thrive, this approach promotes long-lasting, positive change in the lives of girls and society as a whole With this outlook, strategies within the education sector must go beyond responding to the gender gaps within the education system,
and strategically address and transforming social/economic power dynamics that create those gaps.
POLICY FOCUS
Policy Focus: Align the Education Sector Plan to the National Policy on Girls Education to ensure a Gender Transformative Education Sector.
POLICY POINTS
CONSOLIDATE: Map out corresponding strategies to develop a comprehensive gender transformative implementation plan and budget.
COORDINATE: Set up a multi-sectoral task force of national and international partners to guide the execution of a gender transformative interventions in a holistic and coordinated manner.
EVALUATE: Support the Planning, Research, and Development at MoE to set a comprehensive MEL platform and tools for tracking girls鈥� education indicators in Liberia.