PARIS, Oct 11 (Xinhua) — The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Wednesday that substantial progress has been made in promoting gender parity in education, with 50 million more girls enrolling in school since 2015.
In its Global Education Monitoring report published on Wednesday, the International Day of the Girl, UNESCO revealed a notable increase of 22.5 million girls in primary school, 14.6 million in lower secondary, and 13 million in upper secondary education compared to 2015.
“Completion rates of girls increased from 86 per cent to 89 per cent in primary education, from 74 per cent to 79 per cent in lower secondary and 54 per cent to 61 per cent in upper secondary education,” UNESCO said, adding that 5 million more girls are completing primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school every year now than in 2015.
UNESCO continues to call on its members to make efforts to ensure equality in education for girls and boys in school since there are still 122 million girls out of school around the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
“To achieve gender equality in education across the globe, we must sustain our efforts, equipping girls with tools and fostering environments conducive to their success,” said Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO.
On Dec 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared Oct 11 as the International Day of the Girl, to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
