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 My sentiments as we observe the International Day of the Girl

Among the Sustainable Development Goals include Gender equality and quality education. Why these two? Because they most correspond to the needs of the girl as per the demand and focus of the International Day of the Girl. Every year, the 11th of October is the International Day of the Girl. Since it’s advent on 11th October 2012, there has been a world call for the girl to amplify their voices and stand up for their rights.

According to the United Nations Declaration for Human Rights (1948) Article Number 26, “Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.” Well, it is a right but not everyone has the wherewithal to get quality education.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are directly linked to each other and the unfulfilling of one directly affects the other. Where gender inequality is prevalent, the girl is most vulnerable to not getting quality education. Kenya, Mandera county, studies reveal that 80% of the adolescent children in that region have no access to quality education despite the many innovative interventions by the government. And 60% of these are girls. This shows an existing inequality between the boy and the girl, with the boy being on the fair side and the girl on the losing end.

Education is not the only challenge faced by the many less fortunate girls in Kenya. Girls in the Northeastern regions of Kenya are married off at a young age (below 18years), denying them the right to education and considering that, this is a fundamental stage for acquiring education. These girls lack someone to stand up for them and voice out their cries. They are deprived of a need and even their child-life is cut short due to early enforced marriage. This girl feels left alone in her own world; in most cases, she is married to an elderly and there seems to be an age discrepancy between the two.

Some achievements

As much as such raised challenges exist, there has been good progress towards attaining quality education for the girls and also equality in acquiring education. As of 2019, the Kenya National Bureau of standards quoted that there was a rise in the number of female students being enrolled at colleges and universities. And this has positively impacted the growth of higher education in Kenya. In its report, the number of female students enrolled at higher learning institutions rose by 25% as of 2019 compared to the males which rose by only 24%.

This is a great improvement towards attaining equality and going against the stereotypical remarks that “women belong in the kitchen.” The nomadic communities are also gradually embracing the need to educate their girls. Cases of female genital mutilation have also substantially decreased. This is good progress towards realizing the aim and focus of the International Day of the Girl. 

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