Girls And Education.
A Vicious Cycle.

In many developing countries public school is not free. The costs of books, uniforms, electricity and teachers’ salaries are borne by the students’ families. Even when the government pays the tuition costs, children may be unable to attend school because they lack money for food or clothes or they may be needed at home to care for younger siblings or help support the family. In China, for example, the government pays school fees for primary and middle school children but families must pay to send their child to high school. Fees vary from school to school but average around $250 - $300 USD per year. For many families this is more than their yearly income.

When a family is forced to choose between sending a son or a daughter to school, it is generally the daughter who remains at home. Poverty and traditional beliefs about the value of educating girls keep 90 million school-aged girls out of the classroom. Two-thirds of all children not attending school are girls. Lack of opportunity to attend school is reflective of a larger problem---the lower status of and historic discrimination against women and girls worldwide. Without an education girls are consigned to a life of poverty and limited choices. Most likely their daughters will also grow up without an education, and the cycle will continue.