AFRICANEWS

Now is time for gender equality

by Lilian Njeri (984 words)

The Forum For African Women Educationalists (FAWE) brings together a group of women ministers In charge of national education systems, university Vice-Chancellors, Permanent Secretaries and other eminent women educationalists. Founded in 1992, FAWE provides for a unique group of influential personalities in government and universities to act as a "Think Tank" and "Pressure Group" in their determination to effect positive changes in female education in Africa by:

• Initiating appropriate policy debate
• Advocating for and promoting female education
• Mobilizing internal and external resources in support of female education in Africa.

Background

Female participation and achievement in education has come to be closely associated with significant improvement in family welfare, the health of children and their readiness for learning, lower fertility rates and increased opportunities for self employment. Female education is also recognised as a powerful tool of empowering women for increased participation in decision making. Research evidence suggests that the sustained impact of female primary education on economic growth is higher than that of males. Awareness of the benefits accruing from female education has however not led to significant improvement in female education and training in Africa. Indeed education in the continent continues to display gender disparities arising from:

• Lower enrolment, survival and achievement for females at all levels of the education cycle.
• Under-representation and poor achievement of females in mathematics, science and technical courses.
• Inequitable allocation of education resources resulting in fewer and inferior education facilities for females.
• Gender stereotyping in educutional materials and poor teacher attitudes towards female abilities.
• Placing less premium on education of females.

In addition there is inadequate understanding of the complex underlying causes of these gender differentials in educational enrolment and achievement. As a result, few concrete and deliberate efforts have been made which aim at correcting gender disparities in education in Africa.

FAWE has great potential for influencing positive change through clearer understanding among the populace at large, of the pertinent constraints facing African education generally and female education in particular. FAWE members are well placed to identify commonly shared problems and facilitate the sharing of experience and successful strategies for improving female participation. They are decision makers who if well equipped with accurate information can impact on educational policies at appropriate fora to which they have access. FAWE provides for individual and group enrichment through mutual support, information and experience sharing between members.

Objectives

FAWE seeks to increase female porticipation in education at all levels of the education cycle by:

• Influencing educational policies relevant to expanded female enrolment, improved performance and and sustained survival.
• Highlighting priorities, and building consensus around such priorities.
• Documenting and disseminating information on innovative strategies.
• Encouraging replication of strategies.
• Building essential linkages between educational reseorch, policy, planning and implementotion.

The Role of the Forum

The primary task of FAWE is to translate research findings into practice by encouraging the mainstreaming of women and girls concerns into government development programs. Other roles include the documentation and dissemination of successful policies and innovative strategies for improving access, retention and performance, and the mobilization and harnessing of national and international resources for female education. In this process FAWE combines the dual role of "Think Tank" and "Pressure Group".

FAWE is registered in Kenya as a non-profil making NGO. It has a modest Secretariat in Nairobi which is headed by an Executive Director and whose work is guided by an executive committee comprising of nine members of FAWE. Current FAWE membership consists of twenty six members drawn from twenty three Africon countries

Terms of reference

The Forum does among other tasks:

• Identify relevant policy questions and priorities to which research should be directed, ensure that the implementation of education policy addresses the gender differences in access, attainment and achievement, and monitor the impact of policy on female education.
• Ascertain the state of, and develop mechanisms for strengthening the capacities in ministries, universities and research units for the analysis and development of policy and action on female education.
• Identify ways of maximizing the utilization of resources within the overall education system which, over time, can help underwrite the expansion of educational provision for all students.
• Support women In key positions to form networks of educators to spearhead advococy for girls' educotion at the national level, and through tralning, fellowships and representation at relevant decision moking fora, strengthen women's professional and policy-influencing capocities.
• Disseminate research findings and information on workable strategies on gender performance in education in generol, and on accelerating female porticipotion in porticular.

FAWE seeks support for its activities from internol and external sources. Particular efforts are made to work closely with and seek support from the Donors to African Education (DAE) Secretarict in Parls as well as with the leod agencles of individual DAE Working Groups.

Scope of FAWE

FAWE invites project proposols in line with f the above obJectives. These can include:
investigation into factors affecting female porticipation including studies analytic of existing educational policies and resource allocation at the nationol level, pilot projects demonstrotive of strategies for overcoming identified obstacles to female porticipation, advocacy including parental, community and public educotion in support of increased femole participation.

Innovotive exploration of the moss media as alternative channels for educating girls and women out-of-school, identification of creative modules and innovations and their adaptation for replicability on a larger scule, gender sensitization of the curricula, teachers and other relevant educational personnel.

For further information contact:
Dr. Eddah Gachukia
Executive Director
P.O. Box 21389
Nairobi Kenya
Tel: (254)02 566113/56110
Fax:(254)02 568278