UNVEILING THE CHALLENGES OF GIRLS’ EDUCATION IN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES

Abstract

Education is a fundamental right for all and the most powerful accelerator of social, economic and political development of societies, however, girls particularly in Muslim communities still face challenges to their access to education from a combination of cultural and religious norms as well as broader systemic barriers. The present study is attempted in this context, aiming at unveiling the challenges to Girls’ Education in Muslim communities. The objectives of the study were to explore the challenges hindering women’s access to education and perpetuate gender inequality to analyze the role of religious leaders and community in promoting women’s education and to propose actionable solutions for overcoming barriers and accelerating the progress towards gender parity. The research was qualitative in nature using focused group discussion as tool for data collection. The population comprised of all major stakeholders across Islamic countries and sample size was comprised of 11 representatives of various Muslim countries. NVivo software was used for data analysis and major findings of the study were that girls’ education is a major engine to drive economy while challenges of socio-cultural, economic, political including gender norms and gender disparity in decision making were identified The role of government and nongovernmental organisations and civil society was highlighted in guaranteeing gender equitable education with emphasis on women’s presence in STEM fields. The major recommendations of the study were targeted reforms for girls’ education including STEM education and provision of scholarships, safe transportation in conflict zones, science fairs and digital literacy projects. It was further recommended to have monitoring and evaluation system to check overall effectiveness of women’s education programs ensuring that all measures are sustainable over time.