Womens Education In Africa

This book addresses the gender divide in access to higher education and the Ugandan situation. It examines theories of girls' education, human capital, gender inequality and gender-development, bringing views from Africa and its institutions to debates often constructed and conducted in the West. Whilst commending the work of women's movements and NGO's in furthering the educational cause, it criticises fashionable neo-liberal economic/educational policies which are diverting researchers not institutions, thus diminishing local universities and women. The volume also presents the results of a survey of female undergraduates at the University of Makerere, which give rise to discussions about family, societal, and institutional influences on women's access to higher education. This is a welcome book on women in higher education written by an African female academic, insider, and popular and outstanding contributor to the progress of women in higher education in East Africa.

Why do women in most developing countries lag behind men in literacy? Why do women get less schooling than men? This anthology examines the educational decisions that deprive women of an equal education. It assembles the most up-to-date data, organized by region. Each paper links the data with other measures of economic and social development. This approach helps explain the effects different levels of education have on womens' fertility, mortality rates, life expectancy, and income. Also described are the effects of women's education on family welfare. The authors look at family size and women's labor status and earnings. They examine child and maternal health, as well as investments in children's education. Their investigation demonstrates that women with a better education enjoy greater economic growth and provide a more nurturing family life. It suggests that when a country denies women an equal education, the nation's welfare suffers. Current strategies used to improve schooling for girls and women are examined in detail. The authors suggest an ambitious agenda for educating women. It seeks to close the gender gap by the next century. Published for The World Bank by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

It is well accepted that education needs to be equalised along gender lines. However, until the management of education is also gender sensitive, that content cannot expect to be effectively communicated. This is the premise of this groundbreaking book. It addresses gender issues and management practices in education, by critically examining both successes and failures drawn from a number of African countries. It proposes ways of improving the management of education to focus on women - who have hitherto been left out of the mainstream of educational and training practices. It throws a uniquely African light on an issue that goes to the heart of the process of democratisation. In order to empower the girl child in the new South Africa and in Africa, the patriarchal and parochial structures that exist within the African educational paradigm need to be broken down and replaced. This would address problems such as: why women are discouraged from certain fields of studies, like sciences; the effect that interactions in learning situations can have on the achievement and attainment of female students; and the critical necessity of educating and training girls in rural Africa. The book speaks to the heart of the administrative processes within the education framework and shows how the way classes are structured or materials selected needs to be adapted in order to correct the present imbalance. It was created and developed with the aim of seeking out the best education management practices, finding common analyses from these and using them to develop guidelines for future education management.

"What Works in Girls Education" summarizes the extensive body of research on the state of girls education in the developing world today; the impact of educating girls on families, economies, and nations; and the most promising approaches to increasing girls enrollment and educational quality.

Through qualitative research methods, this book engages in a holistic understanding of cultural, economic, and institutional forces that interact to produce the underrepresentation of women as school teachers in four sub-Saharan African countries. Comparative case studies at the national level, using a common research design, show that teaching, despite being an attractive civil service job, offers low salaries and many challenges, especially when it takes place in rural areas. Combining professional duties with demanding family responsibilities further diminishes women’s ability to stay in the teaching profession. The studies in this book attempt to bridge research findings with policy by developing action plans in cooperation with ministries of education of the respective countries. Women Teachers in Africa will be of interest to academic researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students in the relevant fields, as well as development professionals, aid agency staff and education policy experts.