Progress and Obstacles to Girls’ Education in Africa

Because I am a Girl: Africa report 2012 – Progress and obstacles to girls' education in Africa

This report presents the difficulties faced by girls, their families, communities and teachers across Africa, and how their experience of education is impacted and influenced by policies, cultural practices and traditional values.

This is the first pan-Africa Because I am a Girl report, prepared by Plan International’s Regional Office of Eastern and Southern Africa and our West Africa Regional Office. It accompanies and complements the global 2012 Because I am a Girl report on girls’ education.


This report presents the difficulties faced by girls, their families, communities and teachers across Africa, and how their experience of education is impacted and influenced by policies, cultural practices and traditional values.

The report is timely, coming especially when efforts to achieve education for all by 2015 are gaining increased currency, particularly in Africa where there is still a long way to achieve education for all girls.

Behind the statistics

During the research, Plan International worked with children both in and out of school, parents, educators, leaders and policy makers at village and at national levels, to explore what lies behind the statistics on girls’ education.

This report reflects Plan International’s determination and commitment to promote equal treatment and opportunities for girls in Africa, and looks at issues such as:

  • Why is it that across Africa girls are still less likely than boys to enrol and remain in school?
  • Why, in 47 out of 54 African countries, do girls have less than a 50% chance of going to secondary school?
  • Why, even at school, do girls continue to face discrimination and abuse which threatens to undermine the potentially transformative power of the education they receive?
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report (english)

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1.83 mb

report (francais)

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2.76 mb

Campaigns, Education, Education in emergencies, Out-of-school children

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