Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 20th May 2020 - The African Union International Center for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) successfully hosted two webinar meetings on the 7th and 20th of May 2020 with the topic “Addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on girls and women’s education in Africa”.

The 1st and 2nd Editions of the webinar were held in English and French respectively and moderated by Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Coordinator of the AU/CIEFFA and Simone Yankey-Quattara Senior Policy Officer at the AU/CIEFFA. The webinars were attended by experts from the Ministries’ of Education and Gender from Sierra Leone, Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Cote d'Ivoire, who all shared the impacts the pandemic is having on the delivery of education in their countries and the strategies they are employing to promote continuous learning for students especially girls.

In his welcoming remarks in the 1st Edition of the webinar, Dr. Mahama Ouedraogo the Human Resources, Science & Technology (HRST) Department Director at the African Union Commission highlighted that African girls are at high risk of abuse due to school closures as schools provide a safety net that protects girls against societal ills like child marriages, sexual violence, and forced labour.

“Schools typically provide safe spaces for girls. When they are in school, they are less likely to be forced into marriage and be abused sexually. During this pandemic, however, schools are not there to protect girls. This crisis is likely to put them at higher risks of sexual violence and exploitation, trafficking, child marriage, forced labour, and social exclusion.” He said.

Other panellists included UNESCO, Global Partnership for Education, FAWE, Africa Network on Campaign on Education for All, traditional and religious leaders, and the AU/CIEFFA youth alumni.

53 AU member states declared national lockdowns of all institutions of learning by the 6th of April, 2020 as a measure to control the spread of the coronavirus, the move necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic has had negative impacts on millions of learners across the continent especially girls and women and the webinars sought to provide a platform for stakeholders in the education sector across the continent to share experiences and best practices of continuous learning including online and offline tools

Three major issues of concern that came out of the webinars included the; Increased vulnerability of girls to sexual violence and gender-based violence during the nationwide school, Heightened risk of girls not returning to school after the lockdowns are lifted and Widening the digital gap between the wealthy and poor and the digital gender divide since the school lockdowns began.

Panellists from different member states and organizations shared the response actions they are taking to minimize the impact of COVID-19 school-related lockdowns on learners including; Leveraging on traditional media like radio, using TV and newspapers to deliver learning to students, rolling out online learning platforms for students and ensuring gender-related issues are part of the priorities when designing nationwide response framework.

Youth in attendance also highlighted the difficulties students are facing in accessing online learning.

Dr. Rita Bissoonauth reiterated the need for member states and development partners working in the area of girls to continue sharing best practices and called on governments and development partners in the education sector to come up with responses that put into consideration the limitations of learners particularly girls living in low income and disadvantaged communities who cannot afford internet data and do not own ICTs like computers, TV or radio.

Note to editors:

The African Union International Centre for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa is a specialized institution of the African Union under the Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology. The Centre aims to promote girls’ and women’s education with a view towards their full participation in the eradication of poverty and the edification of a peaceful world for sustainable human development. Its mandate is in line with the vision of Agenda 2063, especially its aspiration 6, which calls for full gender equality in all spheres of life, as well as the strategic objective 5 of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (16-25) on accelerating processes leading to gender parity and equity in Africa.
For any inquiry, please contact:

Mr. Boubacar Yougbare| African Union International Centre for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa| Email: boubakary@africa-union.org

Media Contact: Miss Anoziva Marindire | African Union International Centre for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa | Email: au-cieffa@africa-union.org

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