Educating Girls

Education is a needed foundation to the success of any culture. Like many cultures, women in developing countries are responsible for the education of the children. So when a woman is deprived of an education, it can have generational consequences. Educating girls can be one of the most effective ways to positively impact communities and even countries. As former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan said, “Educating girls is not an option, it is a necessity.” For a variety of reasons, girls in developing countries are often left behind as their brothers go to school. One of the reasons is the expense of educating the girls, but not educating girls can prove to be even more costly to the family and community. David Bloom, an economics professor at Harvard states, “Girls’ education is now recognized as a cornerstone of development. Educated mothers invest more in their children’s schooling, thus improving both families’ and societies’ development prospects. Educated mothers provide better nutrition to their children, too, and their knowledge of health risks protects their families against illness and promotes health-seeking behavior more generally.” Due to the economic and social stresses, promoting girls education is not always easy and involves many levels of intervention. Businesses, educators, religious leaders, and the government need to support the movement and lead the reformation of education within the country.