The unprecedented education emergency caused by COVID-19 is creating a looming crisis for gender equality in education. In the Asia-Pacific region, it is predicted to lead to a sharp increase in the number of girls who may not return to school. Prior to the pandemic, 15 million girls were out of school in East Asia and the Pacific. Due to COVID-19, more than 1.2 million girls (from pre-primary to upper secondary) are at risk of dropping out and may never return to school.

On December 10, 2020, we were pleased to take part in the Building back better for girls’ education webinar. The webinar coincided with International Human Rights Day and the end of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.

Convened by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), in partnership with Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Plan International, the webinar examined the gendered impacts of COVID-related school closures and the effect of COVID-19 more broadly on girls’ education in East Asia and the Pacific.

The webinar panel brought together Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, the Hon. Marise Payne, with some exceptional women including young education activists from the East Asia and Pacific regions, Putri Naila Dira (Indonesia), Phuong Anh (Vietnam) and Marlene Delis (Papua New Guinea).

What are the gendered impacts of COVID-19 education disruptions in Asia and the Pacific?

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, education systems were not living up to their full potential to deliver high quality education for all girls and young women. Despite good progress in narrowing basic education gender gaps over the past 25 years, prior to COVID-19, an estimated 130 million girls remained out of primary and secondary schools worldwide.

Almost immediately from the start of the pandemic, reports heralded a ‘shadow pandemic’ of violence against women and girls and concerns that girls may never return to school. This results from an interplay between rising poverty, adolescent pregnancies, forced marriage, and increased care responsibilities. In East Asia and the Pacific, Plan International predict an additional 118,000 girls at risk of adolescent pregnancy and 61,000 girls at risk of child marriage due to COVID-19 disruptions.

Marlene Delis, one of our panelists and girls’ education advocate from Papua New Guinea, shared her observations of the gendered impacts on the ground: “Coming back to school, the girls are fearful. For me as a parent, I was scared to let my daughter walk from home to school. I couldn’t sleep”.

These comments speak to an uncomfortable truth, that learning – whether in school or at home – is not always safe, or inclusive. This also illustrates how violence at home, in the community, and in schools compounds the many injustices girls may face on their path towards learning.

Phuong Anh, a Plan International youth activist from Vietnam and another of our panelists said: “We lack nationwide internet connectivity, so students in remote areas and students in mountainous areas, do not have access to the Internet… Lots of girls when they are falling behind, they drop out of school, and they get into child marriage”.

What actions can government, donors and civil society take to protect girls’ right to education?

It is clear to us that investing in girls’ education is critical in its own right and has huge multiplier effects. Girls’ experiences must inform policy and programs. We must ensure that gender equality is a key focus of our education efforts.

Putri Naila Dira, a youth activist from Plan International in Indonesia, emphasized how disadvantage can multiply: “We need to focus on girls from low income households. We need a re-involvement campaign, and access to facilities and infrastructure. We need to open opportunities for girls who show their potential. Girls can be the agent of change…we need a long-term investment”.

The importance of education to economic recovery, resilience and security is a cornerstone of Australian Government’s development policy, Partnership for Recovery - Australia's COVID-19 Development Response. Australia is working within the Indo-Pacific region, and globally, to contain the pandemic and ensure its impact does not threaten human development gains.

Good quality education for all is critical to the ongoing prosperity and stability for the Indo-Pacific region and the world. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Marise Payne, echoed this sentiment during the webinar when she spoke of girls and young women in the region having the right to return to school and stay in school and access an inclusive education, in a safe and fulfilling environment.

In close collaboration with Australia, the GPE has been mobilizing resources and partnerships to do just that. GPE’s approach of convening country leaders, driving meaningful change and providing innovative technical assistance has helped get 160 million more children in school and double girls’ enrollment in partner countries.

GPE’s work to keep children learning in the face of adversity has shown what we can achieve if we choose to transform education at scale.

This panel gave us the opportunity to hear directly from girls and young women, and highlighted that young women have the drive and ideas to make gender equality in education a reality.

Watch the recording of the panel discussion