Forum focus falls on educational challenges faced by region’s women

The opportunities and challenges for women's education in the Arab world was the focus of a recent panel discussion held by the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue.
Based in Geneva, the non-governmental organisation held the forum as part of the 26th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to discuss the ways in which enhanced education opportunities would benefit women, families, economies and societies in the Mena region.
The event also provided an opportunity for participants to address continuing concerns.
Obaid Salim Al Za'abi, the permanent representative of the UAE to the United Nations office, highlighted the UAE's achievements in women's empowerment in education as well as women's contributions to the country's political, economic, social and cultural development.
In her presentation on women's education and stature in the UAE, Afra Al Basti, executive director of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, noted that women accounted for more than 60 per cent of the civilian workforce.
Although there had been encouraging trends in women's access to education over the past few decades in the Middle East and North Africa, many challenges remained, according to the Geneva Centre.
"Girls throughout the Mena region continue to be excluded from education, and many more are enrolled in school but not adequately educated to prepare them for contemporary job markets," the non-profit group said in a statement.
"In some countries, access to the secondary and higher education that helps create a skilled and knowledgeable labour force continues to be limited, and even where access is not a problem, the quality of the education provided is often low.
"Although all governments of Arab countries require that children receive at least five years of schooling and provide free education through high school, the rapid growth of school-age populations in the region is posing a challenge.
"Women in Arab countries are twice as likely to be illiterate as men are and make up two thirds of the region's illiterate adults. The gender gaps in education vary greatly across countries in the region but are generally wider in countries where overall literacy and school enrolment are lower."
The region is also challenged by traditions, where the curricula, teaching materials and media often reinforce traditional roles that may restrict women's opportunities for equal participation in society.
A third challenge, according to the Geneva Centre, was that despite the increase in women's educational attainment in the Arab region, and more women moving into the job market, their participation in the workforce was still low.
The centre said that only 20 per cent of women aged 15 and older in Arab countries were part of the workforce, the lowest level of any world region.
[e-mail]