Perspective: Education: The Right of Every Girl and Boy
[Editor's note: The following Perspective editorial is adapted from an address delivered by Bani Dugal, the Principal Representative of the Bahá'í International Community to the United Nations, on 17 December 2003 at the "Education: The Right of Every Girl and Boy" conference, New Delhi. See http://www.onecountry.org/e153/Education_speech.htm for the full speech.]
Philosophers have a phrase -- "enlightened self-interest" -- which they apply to those situations where choosing the less obvious or even slightly more painful course makes us much better off in the long run.
We all face choices like this each day. Is it better to skip a tasty sweet and thus save money and prevent cavities in our teeth? What about purchasing a shiny new sports car instead of saving for retirement?
Governments and societies face similar choices. Do we spend on the army or agriculture (the old "guns or butter" dilemma)? In developing societies, where resources are especially short, the choices are even more difficult.
There is perhaps no better example of "enlightened self-interest" in the world today than the education of children. By every measure, every study, and every rational thought process, the investment made today in the education of girls and boys pays dividends that will last far into the future -- and make the world a much better place.
Yet, according to UNICEF's latest "State of the World's Children" for 2004, some 121 million children receive little or no schooling.
This is a hard fact to reckon with, given not only the overall social benefits of education, but also the understanding that education is a basic human right.
The right to education is outlined in some of our most important and fundamental human rights agreements, from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. These and other treaties obligate governments to ensure that education is available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable.
Education is not only a fundamental right, it also underpins the exercise of all other human rights. For without literacy and a basic education, how can people even be aware of their rights?
There is another important aspect to this picture: the gap between the education of boys and girls. According to UNICEF, of those 121 million children who receive little or no schooling, some 65 million -- the majority -- are girls. The so-called "gender gap" varies greatly from country to country, and so this statistic does not tell the entire problem. In Africa, and in some countries in Asia, the gap is much larger, hitting 20 percent in some cases.
Yet, it is through the education of girls that society's "enlightened self-interest" really comes through. For when the investment is made to educate girls, a number of significant benefits emerge.
These points are made in the UNICEF report. It says that when girls are educated, they are themselves as mothers more likely to send their own children to school. When girls are educated, their families are healthier and less likely to be poor. And when girls are educated, they are less likely to be drawn into exploitative work outside the home, or face sexual abuse or violence.
The Bahá'í International Community has long recognized the importance of educating girls. In its statements to the United Nations, the Community has advocated giving girls a priority in education -- pointing out that by educating girls, future mothers are better equipped to educate both girls and boys in the next generation.
This understanding, which the new UNICEF report now presents as a matter of common sense, was stated in the Bahá'í writings more than 90 years ago. 'Abdu'l-Bahá said: "[T]he education of women is of greater importance than the education of men, for they are the mothers of the race, and mothers rear the children. The first teachers of children are the mothers. Therefore, they must be capably trained in order to educate both sons and daughters."
Of course, in the best of all possible worlds, everyone -- girls and boys -- would get the best possible education. But because of the gap in the educational opportunities presented to girls -- and because of the long history of oppression against women and girls in general -- it is important to reflect on the special importance of the girl child.
We must stop and ask ourselves: why do we not educate more girls? Why is the gap so large? What is holding us back from pursuing our enlightened self-interest? In other words, what is the gleaming bit of candy that diverts us from pursuing the best course?
UNICEF gives a number of reasons. The key issue is the failure of societies to allocate enough resources to education in general. As a result, when choices are made, girls are often left out. As well, policy makers, educators, and families simply don't understand the critical importance of educating girls in terms of society's overall development and/or their own family's best interest.
But these answers only scratch the surface. The reason girls are left out when such choices have to be made is, in fact, because of the underlying discrimination against women and girls that persists in many societies (some would say in every society).
Here, in India, one only need look at the practice of fetal selection to find just one example of the depth and persistence of discrimination against women. But almost every society faces similar inequalities at some level.
Education for all -- and especially for girls -- is not only a human right -- it is also in the best interests of society as a whole. It is, indeed, perhaps the single best development strategy we have.
We must remember, however, that access to free education alone is insufficient to keep girls in school. What girls can do with their schooling determines the attractiveness of it. If women cannot be employed or self-employed, own land, open a bank account, or get a bank loan, if they are denied freedom to marry or not to marry, or if they are deprived of political representation, education alone will have little effect on their plight. The principle of the indivisibility of human rights necessitates looking at education in relation to all other rights and freedoms.
Yet, despite the signing of numerous international documents on human rights over the years, and the millions -- if not billions -- of dollars in international funding, much remains to be done to ensure education for all.
We must, then, look deep inside ourselves and ask what are the real barriers that prevent the advancement of women and the proper and just education of girls.
On this score, we must examine those social and cultural issues that have, traditionally and historically, led the majority of people to value men and their contributions to society over women and their contributions.
It is these traditions and cultural factors that are that shiny bit of candy or gleaming sports car that prevent us from seeing our own best long-term interest.
In some societies, for example, families see boys as future farm workers (and/or parental caretakers) -- and so they value them more than girls. But the reality is that in our globalizing, information-based society, it is brain and not brawn that more reliably ensures a family's long-term prosperity.
On a societal level, too, boys are also often viewed as future leaders -- and so more deserving of education. This is, of course, a warped view in which discrimination folds back on itself. Women are certainly equally capable of leading. In any event, however, studies show that even when boys become the leaders, they are better leaders if their mothers were better educated.
When you think about it, the idea of enlightened self-interest stems from what is essentially a spiritual faculty. The phrase itself stems from the word enlightenment -- which invokes that power of vision that enables the human mind to see the future and imagine things in a different way, and then to act so as to bring about that transformation.
Again, the Bahá'í sacred writings state: "The world of humanity has two wings -- one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be."
It is through the power of spiritual insight and inspiration that we can reach deep into the roots of those wrong-headed and illusory ideas about women's inequality that prevent us as families and societies from achieving our full potential.
Only then can we collectively learn to see beyond those prejudices and traditions that have led us to shortchange girls. Only then can we collectively realize the long-term benefits that will come from providing all children with an equal and quality education.
