No changes are planned to ‘ Let Girls Learn’

Administration says program backed by ex- first lady will stay

The Trump administration on Tuesday said it planned no changes to an international girls’ education program championed by first lady Michelle Obama, disputing earlier media reports that said the administration had effectively dismantled the effort.

On Monday, USA TODAY reported that Peace Corps employees had been told to stop using the name of “Let Girls Learn,” an international education initiative — and that, based on an internal message by Peace Corps acting director Sheila Crowley, “Let Girls Learn” as a program unto itself was ending.

The contents of the message were first reported by CNN. In the message, Crowley told employees that the program, which pushes for greater access to schooling for adolescent girls in developing countries, would cease being a “stand- alone program.”

“‘ Let Girls Learn’ provided a platform to showcase Peace Corps’ strength in community development, shining a bright light on the work of our Volunteers all over the world,” Crowley wrote in the email. “We are so proud of what ‘ Let Girls Learn’ accomplished and we have all of you to thank for this success.”

But the administration on Tuesday said that no changes to the 2- year- old program have been made or authorized.

The Trump administration “sup- ports policies and programs to empower adolescent girls, including efforts to educate them through the completion of secondary school,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement. “We are committed to empowering women and girls around the world and are continuing to examine the best ways to do so.”

The White House and State Department declined to say why the email directive from Crowley was at odds with the administration’s statement on the program. The White House also declined to provide a copy of the email.

The Peace Corps did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

USAID referred a reporter to the State Department’s statement. Obama’s office also did not immediately respond.

In 2015, Obama said 62 million girls worldwide are not in school — and that while every developed region has achieved or is close to achieving gender parity in primary education, girls still lag far behind in secondary education.

“If we truly want to get girls into our classrooms, then we need to have an honest conversation about how we view and treat women in our societies,” she said at the time. “And this conversation needs to happen in every country on this planet, including my own.”

“We are committed to empowering women and girls around the world and are continuing to examine the best ways to do so.” State Department statement