20/09/2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women having good literacy skills earn 95
per cent more than those with weak literacy skills, according to fresh
data released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (Unesco) on Thursday as prelude to the 2014 ‘Education for
All Global Monitoring Report’.
While only 30 per cent of the unlettered women believe they can have a
say over the number of children they have, the ratio increases to 52pc
among women with primary education and to 63pc among those with lower
secondary education.
The data released by Unesco just before a discussion on the
development agenda during the coming UN General Assembly shows that
education plays a vital role in giving young women the freedom to make
decisions to improve their lives.
The team formulating the forthcoming Unesco report has cited Mariam
Khalique, a teacher who has used education to foster the confidence and
abilities of her pupils, as prime example of women playing important
roles in society because of their education.
One of Ms Khalique’s many pupils is Malala Yousufzai who is now known across the world for her advocacy of girls’ education.
The analysis was released at a school in New York, where Ms Khalique
taught a class full of people about the benefits of education.
“Education has unrivalled power to reduce extreme poverty and boost
wider development goals,” said one of the blurbs released on the
occasion to promote the ‘Education for All Global Monitoring Report’.
“Investing in education, especially for girls, alleviates extreme
poverty through securing substantial benefits for health and
productivity, as well as democratic participation and women’s
empowerment,” said another blurb.
“To unlock education’s transformative power, however, new development
goals must go further to ensure that all children benefit equally not
only from primary education but also from good quality secondary
schooling.”
The Unesco team led by Pauline Rose says that education also helps
girls and young women to resist oppressive social limits on what they
can or cannot do.
The analysis shows that education equality improves job opportunities
and serves to enhance economic growth. If all children, regardless of
their backgrounds and circumstances, had equal access to education,
productivity gains would boost economic growth.
Over a period of 40 years, per capita income would be 23pc higher in a
country with equality as compared to one with unequal educational
opportunities.
According to the analysis, people with higher education are likely to
use energy and water more efficiently and to recycle household waste.
Across 29 mostly developed countries, 25pc of the people with less than
secondary education expressed concerns for the environment, compared to
37pc with secondary education and 46pc with tertiary education.
Ms Rose adds: “Our analysis provides evidence that educated girls are
far more likely to be able to protect their children from preventable
diseases, and to stave off malnutrition in their children’s early
years.”
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