ENHANCING GIRLS’ EDUCATION THROUGH COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

These schools are built within a community and serve the children of that community, typically characterized by local support and enthusiasm. Innovative partnerships among government, service organizations, and local communities have enabled the establishment of these schools. One of the primary barriers to girls' education in rural communities is the physical distance from home to school, which poses risks to the girl child, including abuse and exploitation by teachers or older boys at the school. Other barriers include the family demand for girls' labor, the cost of schooling, and cultural pressure for girls to find a good, early marriage. Rural parents, particularly mothers, often have little or no schooling and may view schooling as a means of escaping the hard rural life rather than gaining skills and knowledge. Community schools have been successful in overcoming these barriers by incorporating essential elements that make them successful in providing opportunities for girls. These elements include community consultation and participation, local teacher recruitment and training, and a focus on mastery of basic literacy and numeracy. Community schools also provide a quality learning environment, with engaging learning materials, group learning, and active methods engaging children in projects within and outside the classroom. The financing of community schools seeks to place little burden on parents, with some programs supporting parents who are unable to afford fees through community funds managed by the school committee. Successful community schools are those where core values are clearly articulated and practiced, such as prioritizing children's well-being and learning, recognizing the teacher as a learner, and building on strengths rather than weaknesses. The concepts and elements that define community schools reflect sound development theory and research on learning. Committed leadership is a critical criterion for any program aiming at social transformation, and local leadership is essential for introducing the community-school approach. Successful community-school programs grow from the culture and people they serve, drawing on experience from other settings when appropriate. The management framework for each program will reflect national regulations and historical experience in the establishment and recognition of schools.