22/12/2022, 12:10 Educación: The urgency of quality education for girls and women in Latin America and the

and the potential of tec…

EDUCACIÓN

The urgency of quality education for girls

and women in Latin America and the poten-
tial of technology to achieve it
| 06.10.2022 | 12.5 Minutes

Profesora de Ucayali con estudiante © Más-Educación

Educating girls and women, in addition to being a human right, represents a benefit
to all of us because it contributes to reducing inequality and poverty as well as
strengthening democratic citizenship in the countries. However, today in the world,
there are 129 million girls without the possibility to be educated, and those with ac‐
cess to school face considerable barriers to completing it. How can we strengthen
girls' access to quality education in Latin America? Education with technology has
proved to be an answer to achieve this if certain essential conditions are fulfilled.

In this article, I will present the current context of the education of girls and women
in Latin America and Peru, explaining the obstacles they face to access quality ed‐
ucation and why they must overcome them. Furthermore, I will argue that educa‐

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tion with technology can be a powerful tool to close the gender gap and empower
girls. Finally, I will present evidence-based recommendations to implement EdTech
projects that could impact girls' and women's education.

Girls' right to quality education

Education is a fundamental human right for everyone, regardless of who they are or
where they come from, as is stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The fundamental cycles of education (initial, primary, and secondary) must be
compulsory, guaranteed, and have public investment available to everyone.

However, according to UNESCO, it is estimated that 129 million girls in the world
between 6 and 17 years old do not attend school[1] (#_ftn1). That amount is equiv‐
alent to the sum of the entire population of Colombia, Argentina, and Peru. It is in
the poorest countries of the planet, several in Africa, where most girls without ac‐
cess to education are found.

Regarding Latin America, except for poor countries like Haiti, in 2019, almost 100%
of girls between 6 to 10 years old had access to primary school education.
However, girls’ right to education is not only to allow them access to schools but to
give them opportunities to complete their fundamental cycles of education. This
has not been possible in Latin America yet. In 2019 just 65% of girls finished sec‐
ondary school (11 to 14 years old), and less than 50% completed high school (15 to
17 years old).

[1] (#_ftnref1) https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation#1

(https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation#1)

UNESCO. GEM Report. UIS database. 2019.

Moreover, it is estimated that the number of girls out of school has increased due
to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is no consolidated data yet, the Plan
International organization conducted surveys among girls and women in 14 coun‐
tries (including 3 in Latin America), where it was found that the main pandemic
negative effect identified by 62% of the interviewed was "not being able to go to
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school or university."[1] (#_ftn1) Additionally, in countries affected by fragility or

conflict, girls are 2.5 more likely to be kept away from education than boys.[2]
(#_ftn2) Therefore, we can deduce that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, girls' ac‐
cess to education has been reduced.

Finally, girls not only have the human right to go to school but to receive a quality
education. This is confirmed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifi‐
cally in SDG 4, which countries have committed to achieving by 2030. SDG 4 says
that countries must "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all."[3] (#_ftn3)

Ensuring a quality education for girls implies that they have well-prepared and pro‐
fessional teachers and enough resources to achieve learning. It is also necessary
that they feel safe in their schools and educational spaces, that they acquire skills
and knowledge to integrate and compete in the labor market, and that they develop
the necessary socio-emotional skills to navigate

[1] (#_ftnref1) Plan Internacional. Vidas detenidas: El impacto de la COVID-19 en

niñas y mujeres jóvenes. 2021.

[2] (#_ftnref2) https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation#1

(https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation#1)

[3] (#_ftnref3) https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/education/

(https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/education/)

Why don't girls have access to education?

The reasons for not allowing girls access to education differ in each country and
community. Based on the barriers identified globally by the World Bank, I will
present some that affect the Latin American region with examples from Peru.

Poverty

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Violence

Culture

Gender inequality

Why is it beneficial for everyone to educate girls?

Besides education being a human right, reducing the gender gap in terms of educa‐
tion brings economic, social, and political benefits to a country.

Firstly, educating girls reduces poverty and inequity in countries because it allows
women to integrate into markets, contributing to the country's economy. Studies
have proven that poverty affects women more than men, and depriving females of
opportunities also affects society's development. Therefore, education and devel‐
opment opportunities for girls will benefit not only women but also men. One esti‐
mates that reducing the gender gap in education can bring around 112 and 1522
trillion dollars annually in developing countries.[1] (#_ftn1)

Secondly, quality education is essential to strengthen democratic citizenship, live

in community, and avoid conflicts. An investigation published by One calculates
that the potentiality of conflicts could decrease as much as 37% if quality educa‐
tion is provided to men and women.[2] (#_ftn2)

Thirdly, girls who complete their fundamental education are less prone to teenage
pregnancy. They tend to live healthier and more productive lives. Girls with access
to formal education are more likely to use contraceptives, marry at later ages, have
fewer kids, not contract HIV, and be better informed about their kids' nutritional
needs.[3] (#_ftn3)  

Lastly, women with quality education are inclined to have better salaries and make
their life decisions, resulting in a greater future for themselves and their families.
Nowadays, Latin America has a 53% female participation rate in the working mar‐
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ket (under the men's participation rate).[4] (#_ftn4) Having more educated women
stimulates the labor market.

[1] (#_ftnref1) https://www.one.org/us/issues/quality-education/

(https://www.one.org/us/issues/quality-education/)

[2] (#_ftnref2) https://www.one.org/us/issues/quality-education/

(https://www.one.org/us/issues/quality-education/)

[3] (#_ftnref3) https://www.worldvision.ca/stories/education/girls-education-facts-

and-… (https://www.worldvision.ca/stories/education/girls-education-facts-and-
how-to-help#2)

[4] (#_ftnref4) https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation#1

(https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation#1)

Can technology be a solution to educating girls?

Access to technology has widened now that we are overcoming a global pandemic
in which girls and boys had to learn from a distance and integrate technology into
their lives. This allows us to imagine technology as a vehicle to reduce the gender
gap in education. Latin America reached 500 million users connected to the inter‐
net from a smartphone at the end of 2021, and by 2025 the percentage of the pop‐
ulation adopting this practice is expected to rise to 80%.[1] (#_ftn1) Therefore, ac‐
cess to this technology could be used to enhance girls' education.

Nevertheless, access to connectivity and devices does not guarantee quality edu‐
cation. Examples such as the One Laptop Per Child in 2007 and the Aprendo En
Casa strategy in 2021 (when a million laptops were handed in Peru) proved that the
enhancement of education by technology requires more than providing laptops or
tablets to students.[2] (#_ftn2)

[1] (#_ftnref1) https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/latam/

(https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/latam/)

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[2] (#_ftnref2) GRADE made a study called One Laptop per Child at Home: Short-
Term Impacts from a Randomized Experiment in Peru that showed that the intro‐
duction of XO laptops did not achieve the desired impact since it lacked a teacher
strengthening pedagogical strategy Web:
https://www.grade.org.pe/publicaciones/one-laptop-per-child-at-home-short-term-
impacts-from-a-randomized-experiment-in-peru/
(https://www.grade.org.pe/publicaciones/one-laptop-per-child-at-home-short-term-
impacts-from-a-randomized-experiment-in-peru/) On the other hand, the effect of
the 1 million tablets handed to students in 2021 as part of the Aprendo en Casa
strategy has not yet been evaluated, but Minedu already presented the Estudio
Virtual de Aprendizajes 2021 paper where students have reduced their learning
achievements at very high levels; hence, we can deduce that tablets did not have a
significant impact in mitigating learning. We have to wait for a study to confirm it,
but I venture to this deduction, given the design of the strategy and the current
data.

La tecnología empodera a las niñas y mujeres en su educación

formal y en varios otros aspectos de la vida

Education with technology can strengthen the education of girls and women. In
addition, evidence shows that the involvement of girls and women with technol‐
ogy helps the learning process and empowers them. Though, certain conditions
need to be implanted to achieve the desired impact.

EdTechHub[1] (#_ftn1) examined evidence from 39 worldwide studies about girls

and EdTech (education with technology),[2] (#_ftn2) and they found that:

When girls have full access to EdTech and barriers are removed, they respond to
technology with a higher degree of participation and involvement than boys.
For instance, in Kenya, girls significantly increased their reading level by
integrating an app, surpassing boys.

Full access to EdTech also proved to be of higher impact in the empowerment

of girls and women than it is for boys and men. For example, multiple African
alphabetization projects used mobiles (mobile-assisted literacy learning) to help
girls and women comprehend readings in languages they could not understand.
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Technology not only empowers girls and women in their formal education but
also in other aspects of their lives. To illustrate, an Online and Distance
Learning project in India enabled women to widen their economic possibilities,
health decision-making abilities, and understanding of their rights.

[1] (#_ftnref1) https://edtechhub.org/ (https://edtechhub.org/)

[2] (#_ftnref2) Webb, D. Barringer, K. Torrance, R. Mitchell, J. (2020). Girls’

Education Rapid Evidence Review . EdTechHub. 10.5281/zenodo.3958002

However, the benefits of education with technology for quality education and em‐
powerment for girls and women will only be possible if a) equitable access to
technology is given to girls and b) there is an educational context ready for a
comprehensive transformation.

On the one hand, studies demonstrate that non-equitable access to technology for
girls is one of the most significant barriers to overcome. Many schools do not have
the resources to assure equitable access and the ones that do have them hold au‐
thorities or teachers that are gender biased, which impedes equitable access.

According to learned gender roles and standard practices, schools privilege access
to technology to men rather than girls. The same occurs in other social contexts,
like access to devices at home. Families limit girls' access to technology because
of traditional gender roles, causing them to learn these limitations and restricting
their confidence to use and explore technology.

On the other hand, there is a need for an educational context ready for a compre‐
hensive transformation. Firstly, teachers' personal development should be trained
and fortified in terms of technology integration and teaching strategies capable of
facing specific gender needs. Secondly, schools' syllabus and pedagogy strategies
should be transformed to integrate technology and eliminate discrimination
against girls and women. This is because, unfortunately, in many countries, gender
biases remain in the content and ways of teaching in schools. Thirdly, the presence
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of authorities and educational policies that prioritize investment in the education of

girls and women is necessary.

Final words

The girls’ and women’s access to a complete and quality education is a human
right.

Girls around the world experience multiple barriers to accessing quality

education. Poverty, violence, cultural aspects, and inequity in schools are
problems that stand out in Latin America.

Educating girls and women is urgent. Besides education being a human right,
reducing the gender gap in terms of education brings economic, social, and
political benefits to a country.

Education with technology can strengthen girls' and women's education.

Evidence shows that the involvement of girls and women with technology helps
the learning process and empowers them.

Equitable access to technology for girls and an educational context ready for a
comprehensive transformation are two essential conditions needed to reach an
education able to impact the gender gap positively and empower girls and
women.

About the author

Author: Carla Gamberini Coz

CEO and co-founder of MásEducaciónPe

Director of Mangahigh in Latin America and Spain

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Carla Gamberini CEO Más-Educación © Más-Educación

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