Abstract
In this chapter, I analyze policies developed by the government of Burkina Faso in order to redress an imbalance in gender education. Girls, in effect, are not getting their fair share of education, whether in quantity or quality. I critique existing policies concerning gender issues in education by first taking stock of different policies launched in favor of the education of girls, the context of their formation, and identify shortcoming therein. It has been found that international organizations, beyond their commitment to reverse the lag in the education of girls, bring with them an agenda that is at times contradictory with the aim of education for all. At the same time that governments are prodded to school all girls, Structural Adjustments Programs that generally bring more poverty and less public spending, are at loggerheads with increased access. Moreover, the policy choices of international organizations seem to be ill-equipped to subvert existing ideological and patriarchal structures. These structures do not allow for the empowerment of women. The government itself is found to have very little leverage on current policies, raising the nagging question of their appropriation. The paper ends with some policy recommendations that go beyond the construction of facilities and resources to address issues of the school experiences of girls, the curriculum-in-use, and overall problem of teacher training and compensation.
Highlights
Burkina Faso, a former colony of France, is an agricultural country that belongs to the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs)
The international context has been instrumental in that process, after the International Women’s day in 1975, and followed by the world summit of Jomtien on education
These policies, though, are at their weakest as they take place in the midst of competing public needs that are widespread in a developing country
Summary
Burkina Faso, a former colony of France, is an agricultural country that belongs to the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs). Are girls enrolled far less in schools than boys but they experience a higher attrition: chronic failure, falling behind in grade levels, and failing their exams. They are less likely than boys to attain higher education. A well-known proverb of the Mossi group--a linguistic community that makes up more than fifty percent of the population—consider pagaa la yiri, the woman makes the home. This philosophy is crippling for women and girls. Adult education and informal education have not been considered here even though they are a viable option for women’s empowerment in a country where there are gross gender inequalities
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