Teachers and their unions use innovative and empowering approaches to ensure the right to education for girls in all their diversity
Marking the International Day of the Girl Child
On the International Day of the Girl Child and every day, educators around the world are fully committed to advancing girls’ rights through education.
“Access to quality education for girls in all their diversity is a fundamental right and an imperative for teachers and their unions everywhere. For decades, Education International has been working tirelessly to ensure every girl in every corner of the world has access to free quality public education. Our 10th World Congress reaffirmed this commitment. While barriers remain and progress is sometimes eroded, patient and persistent activism for our girls is changing lives around the world. Teachers and their unions are leading the way, devising creative and effective solutions to break down barriers”, stated Haldis Holst, Education International Deputy General Secretary.
Education transforms
Education is an enabling right that supports the fulfilment of all human rights.
Data shows that education has a transformative impact on the lives of women and girls. Lack of access to education for women and girls costs countries trillions of dollars.
Women who have a secondary education earn almost twice as much as those with no formal education. They are also less likely to experience intimate partner violence and feel higher psychological well-being. Women’s education level is linked to lower rates of child marriage, lower fertility rates, reduced child mortality and malnutrition.
Despite the essential role education plays in women’s lives, 122 million girls are out of school.
Across the world, access to quality education for women and girls continues to come up against several obstacles. Menstrual poverty, teenage pregnancies, climate change, the far-right mobilisation against gender equity are all barriers preventing girls from accessing quality education.
Unions working to ensure schools are open to all girls
Romania: Teenage pregnancies must not be the end of education
According to Alexandra Cornea of the Free Trade Union Federation in Education (FSLI), “in Romania, teenage pregnancy remains a barrier to girls' education, especially in rural and marginalised communities. Many girls become mothers while still in school and, due to stigma, lack of support systems, and rigid school policies, never return to complete their studies. Approximately 10% of all births are to teenage mothers, and 8 out of 10 girls drop out of school due to pregnancy. This contributes significantly to high dropout rates, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality”.
FSLI has mobilised to ensure girls have the information they need to avoid unwanted pregnancies and to receive support to continue their education after giving birth.
“As a union committed to inclusive and equitable education, FSLI believes that the only solution is education, because without education, girls become vulnerable! Education is a weapon of defence, perhaps the most powerful one! Together with NGOs, we organise visits to schools to talk to girls about prevention, self-protection, and the importance of attending school, facilitating access to information about social care services and training sessions. We believe that every girl has the right to education, regardless of circumstances, and we continue to promote programmes that offer real opportunities for a second chance (the National Program "A Second Chance"). Empowering girls means giving them the tools they need to choose their future — and education is where that choice begins.”
Alexandra Cornea, Director of International Relationship, Education, Training & Programs Department, Free Trade Union Federation in Education
Ghana: An effective solution to the menstrual poverty driving school absenteeism
The lack of access to sanitary products often keeps girls from attending school. In Ghana for example, the disposable sanitary pad is categorised as a luxury good and has a high import duty. The price of $2 for a pack of 8 sanitary pads makes menstrual hygiene inaccessible to girls from low-income families. In addition, many schools in Ghana lack sanitary facilities as well as water and changing rooms for girls.
“The stigmatisation girls experience during that time of the month and the fact that sanitary pads remain a luxury item for the majority of girls who come from poor families pose a significant barrier to the education of girls and their empowerment”, warns Rebecca Ocran Abaidoo of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT).
Teachers report that girls miss at least 5 school days a month because of menstruation. Many are forced to use unsanitary materials such as leaves or newspapers. As Ocran Abaidoo stresses, “the situation impacts the attendance of adolescent girls so severely that the cumulative effect over a period of ten years is unimaginable”. Some girls even drop out completely because they cannot catch up with school work.
With support from the Steve Sinnott Foundation, NAGRAT has organised training sessions that show teachers and students how to produce reusable pads. The impact of this simple solution has been transformative:
“Teaching girls and teachers how to produce something decent, affordable, and effective is truly liberating. Girls can go through their cycles with dignity and no discomfort. Girls we have trained so far can go to school every day and prepare adequately for the world of work and life in general.”
Rebecca Ocran Abaidoo, National Gender Coordinator, NAGRAT Ghana
The Pacific: Protecting girls’ education from the impacts of climate change
Climate change is disproportionately affecting girls and women in vulnerable communities. Traditional gender roles and inequities mean that girls and women experience the brunt of climate impacts, from longer walks to fetch water to increased risks of gender-based violence.
In the Pacific, disasters like cyclones and rising sea levels damage schools, displace families, and increase domestic duties for girls, leading to absenteeism and dropout. Limited access to safe water, sanitation, and menstrual hygiene products further discourages attendance, especially during emergencies.
Coming together under the umbrella of the Council of Pacific Education, Education International member organisations in the South Pacific are working to ensure girls can stay in school.
“Teacher unions and education bodies are actively responding. In Fiji, after Cyclone Winston, unions pushed for climate-resilient school buildings. In Tonga, the Council of Pacific Education advocated for girls to be prioritised in post-disaster education recovery. Across Vanuatu, teachers are now trained to support students affected by school relocations due to sea-level rise. Plan international’s 2024 report led to improved WASH facilities in schools across the region. The 2025 Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative, launched in countries like Fiji and Solomon Islands, helps create safer schools and includes gender-focused climate education. Together, these efforts aim to ensure that climate change does not rob Pacific girls of their right to education.”
Neselinda Meta, Secretary General of the Council of Pacific Education which brings together Education International member organisations in the South Pacific.
United States: Resisting the far-right assault on gender equity
The rise of far-right forces promoting ultra conservative values is eroding progress on gender equity in many parts of the world, including in the richest countries.
According to Franchesca Mejia of the National Education Association (NEA), “girls in schools across the United States continue to face barriers including sexual harassment, gender bias, and unequal access to opportunities such as STEM, athletics, and other “male dominated” fields. With increasing influence from online content creators that present women and girls as inferior to men and boys, the amount of violence and discrimination against girls has been on the rise”.
Teachers and their unions are committed to ensuring that progress on women’s rights continues, that girls in all their diversity have access to quality education, free from discrimination and violence of any kind.
“To create safe, inclusive, and empowering learning environments, we must continue to enforce federal laws that prevent discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation; train educators on gender equity; and amplify girls’ voices as they shape their identities. It is crucial that we, as educators, address gender discrimination from our male students and sexism in our classrooms. The NEA Women’s Issues Committee has been committed to researching, adapting, and sharing frameworks to address these specific issues. That through collective work, we can ensure all our students feel safe and included in their learning community.”
Franchesca Mejia, NEA Women’s Issues Committee, Chair and Middle School Orchestra Teacher
Continued mobilisation for girls’ right to education
Advancing gender equity through education remains a priority for EI and its member organisations. Free quality public education is key to fulfilling every girl’s right to education.
However, the global shortage of 50 million teachers as well as inadequate education budgets are putting the right to education at risk. Worse still, drastic cuts in official development assistance for education – a 24% drop compared to 2023 – could force 6 million more children out of school by the end of 2026.
Through the Go Public! Fund Education campaign, teachers and their unions are working together across borders to guarantee every student’s right to have a well-supported qualified teacher and a quality learning environment.
“Through our global and national advocacy, curriculum design, in our schools, and in our unions, we are working to promote and model gender equity so that all girls have the opportunity to go to school and feel free, safe, inspired, and empowered to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential”, Holst concluded.
