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Full-Text Articles in Education
Abriendo Futuros: A Program For Rural Indigenous Girls In Yucatan, Mexico, Fabiola Romero, Ludivine Cicolella, Silvana Larrea, A. Fallone, Isabel Vieitez Martínez
Abriendo Futuros: A Program For Rural Indigenous Girls In Yucatan, Mexico, Fabiola Romero, Ludivine Cicolella, Silvana Larrea, A. Fallone, Isabel Vieitez Martínez
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Abriendo Futuros (AF) program builds on the Council’s global experience of designing and implementing successful girl-centered programs in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean. AF aims to improve the living conditions of Mayan girls (10–18 years) and contribute to the achievement of gender equity in the Yucatan. The program’s community-focused strategy seeks to empower girls through interpersonal communication and participatory workshops. Girls in selected communities are divided into age groups (10–14 and 15–18) that meet weekly with a mentor in safe spaces. The program’s mentors are young women aged 20–30 from the communities, who …
Population Council Annual Evaluation Report: Opening Futures (Abriendo Futuros) For Indigenous Girls In Yucatan, Mexico, Silvana Larrea
Population Council Annual Evaluation Report: Opening Futures (Abriendo Futuros) For Indigenous Girls In Yucatan, Mexico, Silvana Larrea
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This Population Council Annual Evaluation Report includes evaluation activities from December 1, 2015 to December 1, 2019, and future evaluation plans (2019–21), as part of the Opening Futures (Abriendo Futuros) project for indigenous girls in Yucatan, Mexico. The first section describes the finalized analysis of the impact evaluation of the pilot phase; the second section reports the progress of evaluation activities; and the third section includes an evaluation of future plans for the period December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2021.
Adolescent Girls' Voices On Enhancing Their Own Productivity In Pakistan: Highlights 2019, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi
Adolescent Girls' Voices On Enhancing Their Own Productivity In Pakistan: Highlights 2019, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Of the 11 million girls aged 15 to 19 years in Pakistan, nearly half (47 percent) are “not in education, employment, or marriage” (NEEM). This brief presents highlights from a qualitative study conducted in Punjab province of Pakistan to probe the lives, perspectives, and aspirations of NEEM girls regarding education and involvement in economic activity and identify locally acceptable ways in which their lives may be positively transformed through access to education and safe and fair work opportunities.
Does Education Improve Health In Low- And Middle Income Countries? Results From A Systematic Review, Stephanie Psaki, Barbara Mensch, Erica Chuang, Andrea J. Melnikas
Does Education Improve Health In Low- And Middle Income Countries? Results From A Systematic Review, Stephanie Psaki, Barbara Mensch, Erica Chuang, Andrea J. Melnikas
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Despite enormous progress in expanding school enrollment globally, improvements in health have not always followed, raising important questions: Does education, in fact, enable women, men and their families to be healthier? And if so, how? To fill this gap in knowledge, the GIRL Center conducted a systematic review of the evidence for the effects of education on health in low- and middle-income countries.
Adolescent Girls' Voices On Enhancing Their Own Productivity In Pakistan, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Maqsood Sadiq, Rehan M. Niazi
Adolescent Girls' Voices On Enhancing Their Own Productivity In Pakistan, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Maqsood Sadiq, Rehan M. Niazi
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This study was conducted in the Punjab province of Pakistan to examine the lives, aspirations, and perspectives of the largely invisible and marginalized group of older adolescent girls (ages 15–19 years) who are “not in education, employment for pay or profit, nor in marriage” (“NEEM”). The study seeks to identify the reasons for the exclusion of the NEEM girls from education and participation in paid work; explore opportunities and avenues for changing these girls’ existing opportunity structures; and probe the gender norms and behaviors underlying their marginalization to obtain insights into what it would take to change their situation.
Ensuring Adolescents In Uttar Pradesh Stay—And Learn—In School [Hindi], Sapna Desai, Neelanjana Pandey
Ensuring Adolescents In Uttar Pradesh Stay—And Learn—In School [Hindi], Sapna Desai, Neelanjana Pandey
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Government of India has invested in improving education through two key programs for universal access to, and retention in, secondary education. In Uttar Pradesh, the Population Council found high levels of enrollment among younger adolescents, with limited gender disparity. Retention beyond elementary school, however, was low, and learning outcomes—literacy and numeracy—were poor. This policy brief focuses on two challenges to preparing Uttar Pradesh’s adolescents for the future: universal enrollment and retention in secondary school. The brief outlines recommendations that the government invest in secondary schooling, improve school facilities, support and evaluate quality teaching inputs and curriculum changes, remove economic …
Ensuring Adolescents In Bihar Stay—And Learn—In School, Sapna Desai, Neelanjana Pandey, Ashish Kumar Gupta
Ensuring Adolescents In Bihar Stay—And Learn—In School, Sapna Desai, Neelanjana Pandey, Ashish Kumar Gupta
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Government of India has invested in improving education through two key programs for universal access to, and retention in, secondary education. In Bihar, the Population Council found high levels of enrollment among younger adolescents, with limited gender disparity. Retention beyond elementary school, however, was low, and learning outcomes—literacy and numeracy—were poor. This policy brief focuses on two challenges to preparing Bihar's adolescents for the future: universal enrollment and retention in secondary school. The brief outlines recommendations that the government invest in secondary schooling, improve school facilities, support and evaluate quality teaching inputs and curriculum changes, remove economic and social …
Ensuring Adolescents In Uttar Pradesh Stay—And Learn—In School, Sapna Desai, Neelanjana Pandey
Ensuring Adolescents In Uttar Pradesh Stay—And Learn—In School, Sapna Desai, Neelanjana Pandey
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Government of India has invested in improving education through two key programs for universal access to, and retention in, secondary education. In Uttar Pradesh, the Population Council found high levels of enrollment among younger adolescents, with limited gender disparity. Retention beyond elementary school, however, was low, and learning outcomes—literacy and numeracy—were poor. This policy brief focuses on two challenges to preparing Uttar Pradesh’s adolescents for the future: universal enrollment and retention in secondary school. The brief outlines recommendations that the government invest in secondary schooling, improve school facilities, support and evaluate quality teaching inputs and curriculum changes, remove economic …
Education, Numeracy, And Literacy: Baseline Findings, Population Council
Education, Numeracy, And Literacy: Baseline Findings, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) is a program for girls ages 10–19 in rural and urban Zambia that aims to find the best ways to improve their social, health, and economic resources. The program involves over 10,000 girls participating in weekly girls’ group meetings, receiving health vouchers, and opening savings accounts. Over 5,000 girls, unmarried at baseline, are enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial and are being followed over four years—including the two years of the program and two years after. This brief describes the characteristics of these girls at baseline. Of the girls who are currently in school, …
Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Program Overview, Population Council
Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Program Overview, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
For Zambian girls, social isolation, economic vulnerability, and lack of appropriate health information and services are critical problems that prevent a healthy transition from girlhood to womanhood. The challenges that girls are confronted with—high rates of gender-based violence, unsafe sex that puts girls at risk for unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection, school dropout, lack of economic resources and income-generating options, lack of agency and participation—are linked together through their root causes. Therefore, the solutions must be interconnected as well. Through the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), the Population Council and partners are implementing a social, health, and economic asset-building program …
Las Adolescentes Indígenas: Una Prioridad De Hoy Para Un Mejor Futuro Nacional En El 2015, Population Council
Las Adolescentes Indígenas: Una Prioridad De Hoy Para Un Mejor Futuro Nacional En El 2015, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Esta hoja informativa detalla los problemas prioritarios que enfrentan los adolescentes guatemaltecos y presenta las acciones recomendadas para un mejor futuro nacional. Las áreas prioritarias incluyen la educación primaria y secundaria, la salud reproductiva y los medios de vida. La hoja incluye un ejercicio de cobertura—una herramienta simple, rápida y económica que permite entender a quién están llegando los servicios. Permite además identificar problemas comunes entre organizaciones, comprender el acceso diferenciado, identificar vacíos programáticos y modificar el alcance de los programas.
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This fact sheet details the priority problems facing Guatemalan adolescents and presents recommended actions for a better national …
Balika Fact Sheet: Highlight On Schooling, Population Council
Balika Fact Sheet: Highlight On Schooling, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
School attendance is universal in the Bangladeshi Association for Life Skills, Income, and Knowledge for Adolescents (BALIKA) study area, but the persistence of early and child marriage leads to high dropout rates among girls. Compulsory primary education is free in Bangladesh, and policies to improve access to schooling are generally credited with universal schooling at young ages. Only 1 percent of 12–15-year-olds have never attended school compared to 9 percent among 15–18-year-olds in the study area. The recent expansion of educational opportunity presents new challenges. Bangladesh is unusual by global comparison in the high proportion of girls who are married …
The Contracting World Of Girls At Puberty: Violence And Gender-Divergent Access To The Public Sphere Among Adolescents In South Africa, Kelly Hallman, Nora Kenworthy, Judith A. Diers, Nick Swan, Bashi Devnarain
The Contracting World Of Girls At Puberty: Violence And Gender-Divergent Access To The Public Sphere Among Adolescents In South Africa, Kelly Hallman, Nora Kenworthy, Judith A. Diers, Nick Swan, Bashi Devnarain
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This Population Council working paper describes a participatory mapping project undertaken with single-sex groups of grade 5 and grade 8–9 children in urban and rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. At grade 5, female self-defined community areas were equal to or larger in size than those of males in both sites. However, wide gender divergence in access to the public sphere was found among grade 8–9 children. Although curtailed spatial access, especially in urban areas, is intended to protect post-pubescent girls, grade 8–9 girls reported most spaces in their small navigable areas unsafe. Reducing girls’ access to the public sphere does not …
Investigating School Quality And Learning Outcomes Among Adolescents In Malawi, Christine A. Kelly
Investigating School Quality And Learning Outcomes Among Adolescents In Malawi, Christine A. Kelly
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Education, particularly at the primary level, has long been regarded as an essential input of social and economic development. In addition to its role in increasing the cognitive abilities of students, schooling is recognized as a facilitator of labor force participation, female empowerment, improved health outcomes, and greater civic engagement. As one of the early pioneers in sub-Saharan Africa of free primary education, Malawi’s enrollment figures compare favorably with those of its neighbors in southern Africa. However, as noted in Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 34, primary school completion rates stand at just 35 percent, …
Girls' Schooling In Developing Countries: Highlights From Population Council Research, Cynthia B. Lloyd
Girls' Schooling In Developing Countries: Highlights From Population Council Research, Cynthia B. Lloyd
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
As more girls from developing countries attend school into their teens, the importance of schooling experiences and school quality for adolescent sexual and reproductive health, as well as for girls’ successful transitions to adult roles, is clear. The Population Council’s research on schooling seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the patterns and trends in schooling for girls and more particularly the relationship between experiences in school, school quality, and various adolescent outcomes. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 24 summarizes highlights from this research program under five subtopics: the demography of schooling; school attendance and …
La Educación De Las Niñas En Países En Desarrollo: Aspectos Destacados De La Investigación Del Population Council, Cynthia B. Lloyd
La Educación De Las Niñas En Países En Desarrollo: Aspectos Destacados De La Investigación Del Population Council, Cynthia B. Lloyd
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
A medida que más niñas asisten a la escuela en la adolescencia, la importancia de las experiencias escolares y la calidad de las escuelas para la salud reproductiva y sexual de las adolescentes, así como para una exitosa transición a la edad adulta, es clara. La investigación del Population Council sobre educación busca comprender mejor los patrones y las tendencias en la educación para niñas y más particularmente la relación entre las experiencias escolares, la calidad de las escuelas, y las diversas consecuencias para los adolescentes. Promoción de transiciones a la vida adulta: Sanas, seguras y productivas N° 24 resume …
Understanding Adolescent Girls' Protection Strategies Against Hiv: An Exploratory Study In Urban Lusaka, Joseph Simbaya, Martha Brady, Allison Stone, Maya Vaughan-Smith
Understanding Adolescent Girls' Protection Strategies Against Hiv: An Exploratory Study In Urban Lusaka, Joseph Simbaya, Martha Brady, Allison Stone, Maya Vaughan-Smith
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This report provides a descriptive analysis of how adolescent girls and young women in Lusaka, Zambia construct notions of risk and safety, perceive reproductive health and HIV risks, and identify behaviors and actions they can take to protect themselves. Findings suggests stronger social support networks, improved access to the range of reproductive health services and products, and safe and supportive spaces for girls would be beneficial. The report points to several areas for potential program attention, including more focused attention on the structural and environmental drivers of girls’ vulnerability.
L'Adolescence Des Filles Au Burkina Faso: Une Clé De Voûte Pour Le Changement Social, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong
L'Adolescence Des Filles Au Burkina Faso: Une Clé De Voûte Pour Le Changement Social, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Although a number of innovative programs have been created to meet their needs, Burkinabé adolescent girls continue to face many threats to their well-being. They still need considerable support and opportunities to improve their social and economic status and health status. This report, using a number of data sources, including Population Council studies and programs, and the Demographic and Health Survey of Burkina Faso, aims to provide a general overview of these young girls’ adolescence—the realities of life and the policy and program initiatives designed for them. The Population Council hopes that this report will make a significant contribution to …
Youth In India: Situation And Needs 2006-2007, Andhra Pradesh, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council
Youth In India: Situation And Needs 2006-2007, Andhra Pradesh, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This report is the result of a sub-national study undertaken by the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai and the Population Council, New Delhi, as part of a project to collect information on key transitions experienced by youth in India, including those related to education, work force participation, sexual activity, marriage, health and civic participation; the magnitude and patterns of young people’s sexual and reproductive practices before, within and outside of marriage as well as related knowledge, decision-making and attitudes. The project was implemented in six states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.
Adolescent Girls In Urban Ethiopia: Vulnerability And Opportunity, Abebaw Ferede, Annabel Erulkar
Adolescent Girls In Urban Ethiopia: Vulnerability And Opportunity, Abebaw Ferede, Annabel Erulkar
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
In 2008, the Population Council undertook a survey of out-of-school, adolescent girls (aged 10 to 19) in slum areas of urban Ethiopia—a population that is highly vulnerable to HIV infection. The survey serves as a baseline for HIV prevention programs designed and implemented jointly by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Regional Bureaus of Youth and Sports, and the Population Council. This study provided valuable direction for programmers interested in supporting adolescent girls, particularly early adolescent (10 to 14 years old) and out-of-school girls who are highly vulnerable and in need of dedicated attention. Special efforts are needed to support …
Girls' Adolescence In Burkina Faso: A Pivot Point For Social Change, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong
Girls' Adolescence In Burkina Faso: A Pivot Point For Social Change, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
As closer attention is paid to the lives of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, girls are found to be clearly disadvantaged, compared with their male counterparts. Burkinabé girls are frequently married at a young age, and more than one-third of married girls find themselves in polygamous unions as second or third wives, married to much older men. Understanding and recognizing girls’ realities is an important first step in planning appropriate and meaningful interventions for them. Girls who are unmarried, “promised,” engaged, or married face different constraints and merit different program approaches. This report by the Population Council aims to fill gaps …
The Experience Of Adolescence In Rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Tekle-Ab Mekbib, Negussie Simie, Tsehai Gulema
The Experience Of Adolescence In Rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Tekle-Ab Mekbib, Negussie Simie, Tsehai Gulema
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This study aims to broaden the understanding of young lives in rural Ethiopia, specifically, Amhara Region. It finds that over half of the adolescents in the sample had never been to school. The most common reason for boys and girls not attending school was poverty, followed by early marriage for girls, and too many work responsibilities for boys. It finds that over half of the adolescents interviewed were illiterate. The study offers suggestions to address the programmatic needs of rural youth as well as neglected subgroups of adolescents.
Adolescents And Youth In Pakistan 2001-2002: A Nationally Representative Survey, Zeba Sathar, Minhaj Ul Haque, Azeema Faizunnissa, Munawar Sultana, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Judith A. Diers, Monica J. Grant
Adolescents And Youth In Pakistan 2001-2002: A Nationally Representative Survey, Zeba Sathar, Minhaj Ul Haque, Azeema Faizunnissa, Munawar Sultana, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Judith A. Diers, Monica J. Grant
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Published by the Population Council's Islamabad office, this is the first comprehensive survey of Pakistani youth. The report provides an unprecedented view of young people's experiences with and attitudes about education, employment, families, and marriage. The report findings confirm the large differences in the current situation of adolescents and youth, males versus females, from different strata of residence and economic status. Addressing these requires government intervention, changes in attitude, and input from the media, women and youth groups, and members of civil society.
Determinants Of Educational Attainment Among Adolescents In Egypt: Does School Quality Make A Difference? [Arabic], Cynthia B. Lloyd, Sahar El Tawila, Wesley H. Clark, Barbara Mensch
Determinants Of Educational Attainment Among Adolescents In Egypt: Does School Quality Make A Difference? [Arabic], Cynthia B. Lloyd, Sahar El Tawila, Wesley H. Clark, Barbara Mensch
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The paper explores empirically the relationship between school quality in Egyptian preparatory (middle) schools and the likelihood of school dropout either during preparatory school or before the completion of secondary school. Despite strong empirical evidence for the many positive social and economic returns associated with more years of schooling, there has been little research exploring how the quality of particular schools might influence grade levels attained. The authors address this research gap using detailed data on Egyptian preparatory schools (grades 6-8, the last three years of the eight years of basic schooling) that are linked with a national survey of …
The School Environment In Egypt: A Situation Analysis Of Public Preparatory Schools, Sahar El Tawila, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Barbara Mensch, Hind Wassef, Zeinab Gamal, Wesley H. Clark, Rania Sakr
The School Environment In Egypt: A Situation Analysis Of Public Preparatory Schools, Sahar El Tawila, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Barbara Mensch, Hind Wassef, Zeinab Gamal, Wesley H. Clark, Rania Sakr
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Very little research exists in Egypt on contemporary education outcomes and their relationship to an array of education inputs. Also, few datasets are available on the acquisition and retention of basic skills from education. This research aims at filling that gap in our knowledge by drawing a profile of the situation of public preparatory schools, investigating the distinct dimensions of the environment in these schools, and examining the links among these dimensions and specific education outcomes. As noted in this report, this study focuses on the preparatory stage of the general education system. Students in this stage comprise one-quarter of …
Adolescent Girls' Livelihoods. Essential Questions, Essential Tools: A Report On A Workshop, Carey Meyers
Adolescent Girls' Livelihoods. Essential Questions, Essential Tools: A Report On A Workshop, Carey Meyers
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This report, co-published by the Population Council and the International Center for Research on Women, describes a workshop convened in Cairo in 1999 to learn more about the nature of both younger and older adolescents' work experience, differentiate the particular needs and potentials of adolescent girls, and identify programs and policies that might have promise for supporting them.
The Effects Of Primary School Quality On The Educational Participation And Attainment Of Kenyan Girls And Boys, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Barbara Mensch, Wesley H. Clark
The Effects Of Primary School Quality On The Educational Participation And Attainment Of Kenyan Girls And Boys, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Barbara Mensch, Wesley H. Clark
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
In Kenya, adolescent girls fare poorly relative to boys in an educational system characterized by enormous growth, deteriorating quality, and rising costs. Girls are more likely than boys to drop out of school prematurely and are less likely to do well on the primary school leaving exams that come at the end of grade eight. Using data from nearly 600 adolescents aged 12-19 in combination with data collected from 36 primary schools in which those adolescents reside, this paper investigates the effect of school quality on the likelihood of dropping out from primary school in three districts of Kenya. In …
Schooling And The Experience Of Adolescents In Kenya, Ayorinde Ajayi, Wesley H. Clark, Annabel Erulkar, Karin Hyde, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Barbara Mensch, Cecilia Ndeti, Barry Ravitch, Elisabeth Masiga, Shiprah Gichaga
Schooling And The Experience Of Adolescents In Kenya, Ayorinde Ajayi, Wesley H. Clark, Annabel Erulkar, Karin Hyde, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Barbara Mensch, Cecilia Ndeti, Barry Ravitch, Elisabeth Masiga, Shiprah Gichaga
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Government of Kenya is committed to providing equal education opportunities to all of its citizens. As a result, there has been rapid development in education since independence to ensure that as many children as possible enroll in schools and complete their studies. This study was carried out primarily to get a holistic picture of the school environment for adolescents and other relevant factors that might interfere with the whole learning/teaching process. Special attention was paid to the education of girls and the factors that might lead to their dropping out of school. The study was conducted jointly by the …