Sharing Web Resources: UNGEI

External links I have explored leads to numerous events, press releases, and global reports on various issues and trends in education. I have examined the Girls' Education Links, which directed me to several projects and organizations that focus on girls’ education and gender equity, such as ActionAid, Care and Global Campaign For Education.

The site is rich in topics and information mainly about gender equality in education. When I explored deeper, I learned that it tackles many related issues to equity in education, worldwide. There is a link Information by Country that leads to global issues in numerous countries, and we can choose the country of our interest to examine at length. Topics like bridging the education gap, inclusion, and others vital to reach quality education are deeply addressed in the site.

There is an extensive focus on equity of education in this site, but I found that its main concern is in developing countries. They stress on the need to improve girls’ rights and advocate for their equal treatment in their school environments, and provide support to educators so that they can implement developmentally appropriate teaching strategies.

There is a rich collection of reports and research on awareness, accessibility, and availability in many parts of the world. However, I have noticed that these issues are tackled differently across the world. The focus differs from that in reports I was reading on issues that concern USA this week. For example, while awareness in the states might refer to informing immigrants and low-income families about their rights and eligibility rules, awareness in other countries denotes to educating parents about the importance of education and prompts governments to develop an education structures that are appropriate and safe for girls. Some of the issues that UNGEI is confronting with regard to gender equity are the low expectations of girls ‘intellectual skills; from others as well as from the individual herself and not enough initiative to provide space for girls to learn or practice sports.  

It is well documented that inequality in providing quality education to all children engenders serious risks that affect children, families, and the whole nation, yet the new insight that I have gained this week is related to the dissimilarity in the perception of inequity. While accessibility, availability, and affordability are key areas of equity worldwide, each has a different weighted priority, depending on the location. A major challenge for advocates in the early childhood field is to acknowledge the existing gaps and understand the nature of inadequacies existing in their local community; to be better equipped to examine current policies that address them and advocate for effective future initiatives.