INVESTING IN QUALITY EDUCATION

MARY ANN M.SANGALANG

Stakeholders are being urged to invest in quality education as a way to accelerate the eradication of poverty among girls.

During the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) at the at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, Philippine representatives said investing in quality education is one of the most transformative zero poverty strategies -- to give a platform for diverse female voices,

It was lamented that at least one in five Filipino women live in poverty, further limiting their access to education.

While the Philippines has proudly achieved gender parity and free access for primary and secondary education, barriers like family responsibilities, malnutrition, hazardous journeys prone to gender-based violence, and disabilities keep one in 10 girls out of basic education, representatives added.

Among girls in poverty, the success gap and gender divide further widen as they move from secondary to tertiary education or the workforce.

But provide them with the right opportunities, women have the capacity to bring transformative change within her community.

In the Philippines, only 49 percent of Filipino women are part of the labor force compared to the 73 percent of men but college-educated Filipino women are “73 percent more likely to participate in the labor force.

Women seize every opportunity and act as change agents. Their economic empowerment transforms communities, officials said.

Philippine initiatives such as the sustainable livelihood program that provides marginalized women with startup capital, financial literacy, and skills training for micro enterprises and employment assistance.

Through the country’s Free Tertiary Education law, Romero noted that majority of the 2.4 million annual scholars are women.

To further close the labor force gap, the government also strives to empower girls and women to be innovators with demand-led skills in male-dominated fields like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and agri-fisheries.

The CSW68 is the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

This year’s priority theme is “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”

-oOoTHE AUTHOR IS TEACHER II AT RIZAL CON. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL