Improving the Physical Environment in Support of Girls' Education

Investments in education yield results that extend well beyond the walls of classrooms, and education is particularly important for girls, who have a strong impact on a country's development. Despite the benefits of girls' education, many barriers limit girls' access to education, including cultural beliefs, economic need, limited access to quality schools, and uncertainty about how male classmates or teachers will treat girls. The physical environment of schools can promote or limit girls' participation in education. Investments in school infrastructure are critically needed to increase the number of girls who enter and stay in school. Private enterprises and community organizations are in a unique position to improve school conditions by bringing valuable skills, technical knowledge, and leadership to infrastructure projects. Improved school conditions are something that businesses are in a position to assist, and investments in education infrastructure benefit all children, not just girls. Eliminating infrastructure barriers can increase girls' participation in education and improve their experiences at school. Security of schools is a critical issue, particularly for girls, as parents hesitate to send their daughters to schools that are unsafe and vulnerable to intruders. Poor conditions, such as unsafe grounds and the absence of perimeter walls, contribute to girls' lack of security. Making schools safer benefits children and teachers by encouraging parents to send their daughters to schools, providing a sense of security to girls at school, and supporting the safety of female teachers who serve as important mentors for young girls. Classroom conditions also play a significant role in promoting girls' education. Dark, cold, dirty, or crowded classrooms limit children's educational experiences. Improving classroom conditions can result in positive educational outcomes for all children. A clean, stable wall means teachers can post children's work and other materials. Bright, spacious classrooms create a supportive and encouraging atmosphere for teaching and learning. Proper chairs and benches mean not having to sit on a cold, damp floor, and secure storage areas allow teachers to safeguard against theft of books and other instructional materials. Health and sanitation are also critical components of promoting girls' education. Improving the health and sanitation of schools enhances children's opportunities to learn. Without clean, running water, the risk of diseases and other hazards is high. Schools that lack facilities to prepare food cannot feed children who come to class without breakfast and who are expected to sit in class much of the day. A lack of clean latrines discourages girls from coming to school and jeopardizes their health. Accessible schools and available resources are also essential for promoting girls' education. In many rural areas, schools are inaccessible, particularly for girls traveling alone, because of a lack of roads or because the distance between home and school is too far. Even when a school is within reach, critical resources that support the school and its activities may not be available. For example, a lack of safe housing can discourage female teachers from accepting positions in rural areas. A lack of electricity creates dark classrooms with improper light for reading and lack of access to radio broadcasts intended to support classroom instruction. Businesses and community organizations can improve the physical conditions of local schools in various ways, requiring varying levels of time or financial commitment. These include providing materials to repair or build classrooms, boundary walls and fences, housing for teachers, clean and accessible latrines, storage rooms, roads or bridges, electricity, and access to clean water. Contributions to infrastructure are important and desirable in many communities, and better infrastructure almost always improves learning experiences. Businesses can also support girls' education through donations or financial contributions, such as providing a transformer for the school, donating goods or services, donating food, purchasing educational supplies, providing teachers with materials, and establishing or contributing to a scholarship fund. Projects to improve infrastructure will vary depending on a community's needs and wishes, but some general guidelines may be useful in undertaking such a project. An estimated timeline for a project might be as short as four to six months, although larger projects will require more time. Step 1 involves working in partnership with the local community to choose the type and nature of the project. Organizations that decide to invest in improving education facilities should work in partnership with the local community, as a community that sees a school improvement project as someone else's agenda is not likely to be invested in the project's success.