Access to Education for Girls

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Argentina
Delegate Name: Annika Gurrola
School: Mattawan High School

Argentina has made miraculous strides towards gender equality over time; this includes the right to education. As a country that began with a male-dominant approach to education, we have modernized our culture and have made education equally accessible to women as it is for men.

Argentinian states have apportioned educational resources equally to both males and females. Our goal is to have a diverse community of well rounded civilians, and to eradicate all former notions of male-dominancy. In times of economic crisis, Argentina first cuts government spending in order to lower the budget deficit, as we did in 2001. Education resources are never cut, for every citizen has the write to schooling. As early as 1910, Argentina has been considered a leading Lain American nation for gender equality.

Schooling in Argentina has always been free, be it primary school, secondary school, or university. Clearly, education is a top priority. Much like other countries, a class system is in place in Argentina. With this, the average social biases are in place. The lowest earning class of civilians typically has the least amount of women attending school, for they are needed to help provide for their family. This is typical in any region, although Argentina has made efforts to eliminate this bias; one way of doing this is by continuing our belief of free schooling to all Argentineans.

Education is a key way to end many other major issues in society, such as child marriage, detrimental poverty, and crime. Argentina eliminates the anxiety of paying for schooling by making it free to all people. With this, Argentinian women are empowered in areas where other countries in the world may tear their women down. Argentina believes that women must have just as many rights to education as men do, and we are willing to converse with nations that do not currently have the same view.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Azerbaijan
Delegate Name: Shamus Carey
School: Royal Oak High School

For the past century great leaps have been made throughout the world in gender equality, as well as right for women and access to education, many nations would state that they have completely erased gender bias in their educational system. However, in many developing nations, as well as a large portion of fully developed nations there are still huge discrepancies in the percentages of men and women who are being educated. The issue when approaching these topics is the religious and cultural norms of a nation, which is at least one of many reasons for these inequalities. There is no getting past the barrier of religion, as it is too powerful of a force, and Azerbaijan would disagree with any attempt to do so. Culture, too is a practically impossible to change, and certainly not on a huge level or over any short period of time, so what course of action should the United Nations take?

Azerbaijan is not a stranger to gender inequality, though as a nation we have equal rights to education, voting, employment, as well as many other necessities guaranteed to our women. This does not necessarily mean that these rights are taken advantage of, as the authority of the man is more often than not unquestioned. But does the government have any right to tell these families otherwise? Women have a right to divorce, or other forms of familial aid, but if they do not request or want it, it is not our right to intervene. And if the young women of the family do not become enrolled in the education due to the needs of the family or their own choice, it is outside of our ability to force them.

Azerbaijan believes this issue can be slowly pushed towards equality by encouraging any and all nations to put in place these same laws allowing equal access to education and beyond that, employment. With a consistent increase in female enrollment, it is possible to move nations toward further gender equality without infringing upon strong religious or cultural beliefs held by their members.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Bangladesh
Delegate Name: Alison Pinos
School: Forest Hills Northern High School

In Bangladesh, we understand that not enough girls are getting an education; and ever since we have become independent in 1971, it has gotten better. The main problem is that going to school to get an education is not enforced enough, and it’s because of a few main reasons.

Only about a third of women in Bangladesh can read and write and almost three million children don’t receive an education at all. In order for girls to go to school, we will have to deal with the topic of poverty. If there isnt poverty, then girls won’t have to leave school to work. Numerous girls’ don’t get an education because they need to work to support their families and schools are overcrowded. This is a huge problem in Bangladesh, even though the Early Childhood Development (ECD) has made significant changes in the past few years. Changes are going to keep being made until girls have the same opportunity at an education as boys.

Bangladesh has a few initiatives that they are using to try to solve this huge problem; promotion of girls’ participation and empowerment, inclusion of boys, monitoring progress, networking, and building alliances and partnerships. One person who has helped girls receive an education is Sheikh Hasina. She has spent her time trying to fix poverty and girls’ rights. If we focus and spend time trying to fix problems with women rights now, in generations to come we will have helped a lot with gender equality. Bangladesh is trying very hard to help equality between genders, and one day soon enough girls will be able to attend secondary school just like boys.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Bolivia
Delegate Name: Sara Leon
School: Ann Arbor Community High School

The Plurinantional State of Bolivia believes in the pursuit of equality between the sexes. A vital component of making this a reality is equal opportunity education. By instilling equality as a social value in our youth and ensuring both genders have access to the same educational opportunities, Bolivia believes we can create a more just society for both men and women.

Since 1994, with the passage of Education Reform Law 1565, Bolivia has been addressing gender equality in education within our own borders. Bolivia has been focusing on primary and preschool education to begin with, as we recognize that rewriting social values is a steady and measured process. We believe that if we are able to instill the idea of gender equality in our youth, this will, in years to come, help create a wave of change throughout our entire society.

More specifically, Bolivia has been integrating gender equality throughout our curricula. This includes everything from teachers actively creating an equal social environment within their classrooms and challenging sexist beliefs as they come up, to including women’s issues in health classes and teaching about significant women in history. We have also worked to equalize participation in activities that have traditionally been done by one gender or the other, such as home economics and sports.

Bolivia sees equal access to education for women as a vital part of reaching the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. Because of the far-reaching effects of ensuring equal opportunities in education for women, Bolivia believes that the UNW should make a strong effort to help make equality in education a reality throughout the world.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Cameroon
Delegate Name: Casey Belcher
School: Ann Arbor Community High School

In Cameroon there are far fewer girls enrolled in the education system than there are boys. Girls who are enrolled often do not complete school or move on to higher education. Girls are forced to leave school early because parents are not able to pay for the cost of school uniforms and books for their children. Girls are the first ones to be taken out of school before boys; they are expected to carry out household duties or they are forced to marry early.

Cameroon would like for education to be more available to girls. In 2011 Cameroon launched a program called “My Education, My Future”. This is a partnership between Cameroon, the United States Government and the United Nations in order to help more girls be able to complete school. Cameroon is continuing to work to make education for girls more accessible and to make it so girls will be able to continue in their education.

More children, including girls, are able to enroll and complete school thanks to this program. Teachers in the school are better trained and equipped with skill to help students. Schools have more supplies so that students will not have to pay for them. Since 2004 there has been over 7,000 scholarships to help parents pay to keep their children is school. Although Cameroon has made improvements in education Cameroon still have a long to go before education is available for everyone. There are still families who cannot afford to keep their children in school.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Canada
Delegate Name: Ashton Bosstick
School: Fishers High School

Former President of Chile and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet boldly indicated, “Gender equality must become a living reality.” The delegation of Canada calls upon the United Nations of Women to make gender equality a reality. The women of the world have asked for a voice in our society. Worldwide the roles of women have been divided by cultural variance. For instance suffrage has been given to women as early as 1893 in New Zealand. However, as late as 2011 King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia granted women the right to vote in local elections for 2015. Canadian women, with the exception of Canadian Indian women, won the vote in 1917. Canadian Indians, male and female, did not win the vote until 1960. The achievement for women’s equality will prosper the more access to education and allowance in society involvement.

A current issue that should be addressed by the UN Women is the Taliban’s major influence on Pakistan’s schooling. Recently, young fifteen year old, Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban in the Swat Valley of Pakistan; country after country has adopted her name as their symbol for a girl’s right to education. “This week, as Malala Day is celebrated with grassroots events in 100 nations, a campaign has been launched to offer her the Nobel Peace Prize. As long as there are girls out of school anywhere in the world, Malala will be their beacon of hope,” stated Gordon Brown. What has happened in Pakistan can happen in the rest of the world. In Nigeria, where 10 million children are out of school; in Afghanistan, where the figure is 4.5 million; and in India where there are more than 2 million children without a classroom to learn in. Gordon Brown reported, “Earlier today, I was able to speak with Malala’s two friends injured in the October attack and pass on my best wishes. Kainat is a courageous young woman who has been able to return to school and wants to be a doctor. Shazia, the other brave young woman, informed me she is getting better, most enjoys biology class, and wants to be a doctor. I was also delighted to hear about Pakistan’s creation of four Malala schools, a Malala Post-Graduate Institute and a new Malala Center for Women’s Studies.”

The nation of Canada urges nations to take action against this injustice. It will not be enough to call upon citizen’s action or NGOs. These are fine alternative solutions but in the current time we’re in us as the United Nations must move and motivate all nations to be aware and active to this process. Thirty-two million girls should not be denied their right to schooling any longer. We should ask every country to join the Accelerated Millennium Development Goal Framework process. This allows countries to assess current education plans, strategies, and bottlenecks in consultation with international organizations and then work together with the international community to achieve their goal of education on an accelerated timeline. In April 2013, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and World Bank President Jim Kim, alongside the heads of major international agencies such as UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, and the Global Partnership for Education, will meet with international leaders in Washington, in particular ministers of education and finance. Our aim will be to harness international and domestic support for realizing the 2015 goal. The UN Women should join our fellow UN agencies in their goal to push worldwide education for boys and girls by 2015.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: China
Delegate Name: Xenia Prince
School: Flint Southwestern Classical Academy

Our Topic is our view on education for the women of our country. Every country is going to have a different view on this topic. Most of these countries views depend on their religions, or on the way their country’s government is set up. Every country has an education system depending on their laws. In some countries the decision is for certain males to decide if young ladies should receive an education or not. In ancient China women did not have many rights. They were to stay at home until they were married and they went to another family. Now times have changed and we have been trying to improve education for girls here in China. The literacy rate in our country is 91.6%. Since 1998 we have invested time in expanding our education. Since then we have tripled the share of GPA. The number of colleges in our country has increased from the year 1997 to now. In the year 1997 the number of colleges in our country was one million. Around the year 2007 the number of colleges increased to five point five million colleges. Our schools in Shanghai have outperformed schools from sixty five other countries and regions. The United States was number twenty four in this count.

We believe that our country girls have been receiving the education they need. The United Nations has been helping us improve education for women in our country by starting a program called the United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI). They help the girls of our country receive education. In ancient time women could not get the education they needed only men could. But that was ancient China. We have been improving since then, little by little. We believe that with the help from the UNGEI our young ladies have been receiving the education that they need.

We believe that we have been getting the help that we need from the UNGEI. The young ladies of our country have been getting the education they need. The students in our country begin their studies at the age of two. The schools in our country have four hundred million students. Since 1949 the number of the girls in our country has had a massive increasing. We went from only twenty percent of our country’s girls going to school, to 96%. The numbers have been increasing a lot throughout the year. Our country has all the help that it needs.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Cuba
Delegate Name: Amanda Gibson
School: Mattawan High School

The UN Millennium Development Goals has acknowledged the importance of education for all children, with an emphasis on countries where females are underrepresented in the schools. In many developing countries, the governments, falsely, assume that cutting educational programs to females is an effective way of conserving resources. However, as the UN has demonstrated, these girls are the future of the country, and it is vital to provide a solid foundation of education to these children.

Cuba places a very high value on education. 13.6% of the Cuban GDP is education expenditures. In times of scarcity, education is still a priority. The key to future success of the country lies in the educational competence of our children. If there is scarcity, education, in a sense, becomes even more important. Cuba believes that there is no economic reason why girls should be the first to be cut. Males and females have equal roles in the work force and at home. Cuba’s belief is that cutting programs to females will not help the country prosper, since that would limit the knowledge of half of a work force.

Cuba recognizes that society, clearly, should support all children in the attendance of school. As the common saying states, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Cuba has strived to tear down gender barriers through the past decades. It is important that the society as a whole recognize the equality of both genders and continue to reinforce their rights.

The priority of educating girls can be demonstrated through a large allocation of the country’s resources towards education, in Cuba’s belief. Also, parental and community support of female’s in their education pursuits clearly show the societal value of education. Cuba emphasizes that the presence of strong female role models, such as school teachers, reiterates this value in the minds of young children. Cuba strongly believes in the importance of providing a solid educational foundation for all children.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Denmark
Delegate Name: Xiaohong Tan
School: Fishers High School

Denmark strongly believes that equality in education is important. Education for girls is one of the top priorities in the board of education, and the government of Denmark believes that it has provided sufficient needs for all girls to obtain the education needed to become a successful individual in the society. Denmark is one of the European nations with most women in third-level education. Eurostat survey has shown that Danish women hold equivalent if not higher education compared to men.

The ratio of men successfully completed high school compared with women in Denmark is nearly equal: 78% to 75%. The government of Denmark lives on the standard of providing equality for all because it constantly establishes campaign to advocate equality. Denmark places great emphasis on education of girls and women- both nationally as well as internationally because education is the enables personal development, a better living, and ability to participate in the development of democratic society. Denmark wants to initiate a campaign across the world to provide equal education to girls because in many areas of the world, girls are not given the opportunity to influence or choose their own paths because they received little education.

Denmark believes that primary education for all girls is important; however, the government of Denmark also focuses on investing in both skills training and capacity building of women because girls and women are particularly vulnerable. The government is working hard to provide all needs to girls to graduate from primary school and move on to college.

Each country needs to provide equal education to girls because by ensuring education for girls, it is not also protecting and providing the rights for an individual, but also ensuring the future societies economically and socially. Educated individuals will end up give back to the society and if both women and men are educated equally, then the society has more choices to pick from, thus create a boost in economic and promote high level of technology and innovations.

The government of Denmark is calling to create an enabling legislative, financial, political and administrative environment to facilitate women’s entrepreneurship. Denmark will continue to promote equal education for all and especially support the rights of women. A plan called, “I Am a Girl,” was established by the government where it gives girls all the necessities they needed to feel equal in the society.

Denmark is willing to provide support to countries that need help on creating a more of a balance between boys’ and girls’ education. Denmark is calling for all countries to start programs to give equality to girls in school because women are an essential part of the society.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Dominican Republic
Delegate Name: Kathryn Murphy
School: Mattawan High School

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all people have the right to an education, regardless of gender. Unfortunately, in many countries a girl’s right to learn is often denied to her for many possible reasons, such as cultural stigma that undermines the value of a female education, lack of family finances, or religious beliefs. This denial restricts the girls’ political, economic, and social influence, depriving their countries and the world of valuable human minds. Luckily, the Dominican Republic guarantees a girl’s right to education, allowing to women to progress as far into the local, national, and global society and economy as they wish.

The Dominican Republic places a strong emphasis on the importance of the development of girls and their human rights. Elementary education is required for all children, and secondary school is available. Both of these are free for students to attend. Any lingering stigma surrounding a girl’s education has been eradicated, as most girls have a higher education level than boys. They have a higher rate of attendance in secondary school, 52% in 2010 for boys compared to 63% for girls. In 2010, the female literacy rate of girls age 15 to 24 was 97%, compared to a male literacy rate of 95% in the same age group.

The Dominican Republic recognizes the importance of insuring a quality education for women. It also aims to promote education access for women in all countries. The Dominican Republic is willing to work with other countries to develop plans to increase the availability of education for girls.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Egypt
Delegate Name: Ashley Guynn
School: Fishers High School

Egypt believes access to education for women is still a major problem facing the world today. Although there have been significant improvements within the past decades, more action still needs to be taken in areas where education for girls is limited. If women are denied access to education, they will lack the knowledge and technical skills that are necessary to enter the work force. Because they cannot work, unemployment rises. Furthermore, if women lack a good education, not only will they suffer but their children will as well. Without a basic education the women won’t be able to correctly teach certain concepts outside the school or help their children with school.

Egypt is proud to say we have come a long way in regard to education for women, in both access to education and the quality of education received. Egypt’s Ministry of Education has made efforts to increase the involvement of the community in schools, encouraging everyone to be a part of the school, men and women and boys and girls alike. The Ministry has also been making efforts in decentralizing the education system in order to strengthen local schools’ size. Egypt has improved basic education in primary schools as well as expanded access to basic education. Beyond just increasing access, significant progress has been made in increasing enrollment and closing the gender gap in basic education as well as universities. This shows how there is not only access to education but the opportunity available is also being utilized. In recent years, women’s training and career development have improved allowing many more women to be hired as professors in universities.

Egypt recognizes that some views on education for women are founded in religion and are therefore difficult to change. Although Egypt respects these beliefs, Egypt feels education should still be made more accessible through the government for those girls who want it. The number of girls enrolled in schools can be increased through the community outreaches and organizations that make girls’ education a reality, by providing scholarships and financial aid for example. These programs will also help decrease the gender gaps in schools. The organizations could be formed by the UN and sent into the state, with the agreement of the state, to aid organizations already implemented within the state. If the state did not agree to UN organizations, the state could use their own organizations. Also, the organizations should help women be increasingly hired as professors in universities in order to encourage and inspire young girls to continue and strengthen their education and knowledge.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: France
Delegate Name: Anastasia Pacifico
School: Royal Oak High School

By 2015, the UN Millenium development goals (MDGs), including universal education and gender equality, are supposed to be accomplished. 2015 is quickly approaching but these goals will not be accomplished without additional resources and creative financing. For example, France has created a financial transaction tax that can be used to fund progress towards these goals. A few european countries have also agreed to this tax, and France encourages all other willing and able nations to follow suit.

Once we have the proper funding, the question presented before us is, with this money, how can we actually carry out these goals and make education more accessible for girls?

In sub-saharan Africa, 15-25% of girls don’t have access to secondary school. France has donated 3.27 million euros to educational programs for these girls, but money is only one step in providing access to education. It is our duty, as the United Nations, to ensure that each nation is carrying out their responsibility to their constituents whether that be by providing resources to developing nations or allowing NGOs and regional bodies to intervene and correctly carry out policy.

French Minister, Colette Codaccioni, says “equal access to education…is first and foremost a matter of freedom” France, as a member of the European Union, supports their six goals for carrying out gender equality: creating equal economic independence, reconciliation of private and professional life, equal representation in decision-making, eliminating gender-based violence, eliminating gender stereotypes, and promoting gender equality in third countries. Our committee will only succeed when all of these six categories are addressed. France encourages the international community to look to France and the EU as a model for gender equality in education. Only after women have equal access to education can economic and social development flourish.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Germany
Delegate Name: Kate Ruehrdanz

The great importance of education for girls cannot be understated. Every additional year spent at school can mean a twenty percent increase in the girl’s future income. Furthermore, better education means better protection from HIV/AIDS. Education is a human right, and absolutely essential for sustainable human development. It is guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and specifically to girls in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the CEDAW.

The international community has pledged to eliminate gender disparities in education. Germany is working to actualize these internationally agreed goals. The promotion of education for women and girls is a special priority of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the BMZ. In addition, Germany is a large contributor to the World Bank’s Fast Track Initiative (FTI), the goal of which is achieving universal primary education. An important part of the FTI is eliminating gender disparities in education.

Certain legal and political reforms must take place in order for this to work. In order for Germany to partner with a country, this is always a requirement. Similarly, Germany finds it necessary to eliminate discriminatory practices such as forcing pregnant girls to leave school. Additionally, there are a variety of measures which can encourage girls to attend school: more female teachers, equipping schools in accordance with girls' needs, and more appropriate teaching methods and curricula. Though not a top priority, these must be taken into account.

The Federal Republic of Germany encourages an approach witch partners with NGOs and the underprivileged nations in question in order to ensure that girls receive access to quality education. With a high level of international cooperation and support, the goal of universal equal education is attainable.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: India
Delegate Name: Bridget DeLapp
School: Forest Hills Central High School

Education is necessary because it can help individuals to reach their full economic, political, and social potential. It is also an important tool in the fight against poverty. Education for women is particularly important, because many studies have shown that illiterate women have more children, high mortality rates, poor nutrition, low earning potential, and little to no independence in their household. A woman’s lack of education has also been shown to negatively impact the health and welfare of her children. With its growing population, India recognizes that this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and that women need to be able to receive equal rights and education privileges.

The Indian government has been trying for many years to resolve the problem of education for women. In November, 1974, Indira Gandhi said, “…woman is the home and the home is the basis of society. If the home is inadequate…then that country cannot have harmony and no country which does not have harmony can grow in any direction at all.” Since this speech, India has done much to help further the cause of education of women in their country. The government has instituted many programs to help women. One of these is the Saakshar Bharat Mission for Female Literacy. This program’s goal was to lower the female illiteracy rate by half of its present level. Another government program, The National Literacy Mission, sent female tutors to villages to encourage girls and women to learn to read. These programs have considerably helped India protect their women’s rights and it encourages their wish to pursue education.

Although they have made some advances in the cause of female education, there is still much work to do. The government of India’s Ministry of Human Resource Development has as one of their main objectives “paying special attention to disadvantaged groups like the poor, females, and the minorities”. India believes that the importance of women equality in jobs and in education is vital for a country to succeed. They wish for the continued funding of education programs for women, and they also wish to strengthen these programs internationally. Recognizing the importance of equating education opportunities for women but met with the huge obstacle of a growing population, India needs aid from the international community.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Samantha Heiman
School: Roeper School

The issue of girls in school is a growing concern in the world. The recent shooting of Malala Yousafzai by a Taliban gunman over her petitioning for girls’ education has catapulted the issue further into the forefront of concern. An average of 27.1% of girls worldwide are out of primary school.

The story of Indonesia’s independence has been marked by the involvement of women’s groups. Many of the women in our country have not finished secondary school. There have been recent issues in our quality of women’s education that have caused alarm in the world, such as a beheading and an alleged case of expulsion for a student that had been raped. Religious officials in our nation have proposed more radical ideas on women in school, such as the fact that they must be virgins to attend. Indonesia must improve the quality and safety of our schools.

The nation’s girls must be in school. Education will allow them to live healthier lives and contribute more to the country politically and economically. Government and UN officials should go to all cities and villages, especially those where women are most often taken out of school, and make sure that all girls reported living in the area are regularly attending schools. This topic can also be addressed in educational television and pamphlets. Ensuring that the minimum marriage age for girls is raised to 18 will also cut down the number of girls who leave school to become a bride.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Ireland
Delegate Name: Ella Tretter
School: Vicksburg High School

Everyone, male or female, deserves the right to education. Education is important to both the student and the society itself. It not only educates the student with knowledge but helps them learn things they will have to overcome and meet in the future. Every country has different views on if females deserve as much education as males. In Ireland, the government believes that both genders should get the same amount of education. Education is required by law for children in Ireland from the ages of 6 to 16 or until the student has completed three years of second-level education.

There are three levels of education in Ireland, first is the Primary education which is mostly language, mathematics, social, environment, and scientific education, arts education including visual art music and drama, physical integration, social personal and help education are taught also.

Next is Second-Level education, it consists of a three-year junior cycle, followed by a two year or three year senior cycle depending on whether an optional Transition Year is taken the following year. Students usually commence the junior cycle at the age of 12. The Junior Certificate is taken after three years.

Lastly is the Third-Level education which is made up of a number of sectors. The university sector, the technological sector and the colleges of education are substantially funded by the state. In addition there are a number of independent private colleges.

So from the information given, we can clearly see that the girls are getting the education that is needed and more if they desire.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Emma Richter
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

As stated in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations on December 10th of 1948, everyone has the right to education, including women. The goal of education is to fully develop the capabilities of all humans and to strengthen the respect for human rights and freedom. The issue at hand is that a large populous of the world’s women are not allowed an education that could improve their life conditions. The lack of education for women can lead to issues like HIV/AIDS, prostitution, and poverty. Education is a key tool in enabling increases in job opportunities, social awareness, and the health of a nation as a whole. Acknowledging the severity of this issue, Israel has acted to create public awareness initiatives and expand public budgets to advance and equalize the status of women; gender equality is a fundamental principle that has long guided the Government of Israel. Examples of this include Israel’s Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women, Israel’s Parliamentary Committee on the Status of Women and the Law on Gender Implications in Legislation. These organizations promote gender-oriented legislation and sponsor efforts that advocate an increased presence of women in schools and workplaces. Equality for women is also enshrined in our 1848 Declaration of Independence and in the 1951 Equal Rights for Women Law. Israel, the third country in the world to be led by a female, hopes that other countries will follow our example by letting women hold leadership positions, such as our exemplary Prime Minister Golda Meir. This can only be done, however, by educating women. Israel acknowledges the Commission on the Status of Women’s previous efforts for gender equality, including their agreed conclusions from 1996 to 2011 that encourage equal access and participation of women in education, elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child, the preventing of violence against women.

Israel recognizes that in times of scarcity, developing nations choose boys to fill classroom seats due to both the established role women currently hold in many societies and the misconceptions about the limits of females, and therefore urges this committee to explore the possibilities of increased financing for the education of women. These actions could be funded by NGOs that could aid countries who have no resources to apportion towards education with support from organizations like the ILO, UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA, OHCHR, UNICEF, and WHO, and especially the Millennium Project that can serve as critical pillars of this effort. Israel would also have this committee move to act through organizations that could obtain successful statistics of educated women who could follow the example of women like Prime Minister Golda Meir. These statistics could be used to display the positive impact of education for women to those who do not acknowledge its importance.

Israel appeals to its allies: Germany, Canada, and the United States. Israel appreciates the efforts these countries have made to increase education for women and maintain a gender-equalized society. Israel calls upon them to act in the best interest of females everywhere by approving any actions taken to aid education for women. Only through the support of multiple countries can we begin to make a global difference.

Israel understands hesitations held by countries such as Pakistan and the Syrian Arab Republic due to differences in culture and belief. Israel believes, however, that a resolution can be made that will satisfy the desires of each nation and respect the religious practices of all countries while still establishing progress in female education.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Italy
Delegate Name: Ashley Smith
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy

Education is one of the most important things that a person can receive. Educating people is necessary if a nation hopes to grow and be a prominent nation in the world. If a nation’s people are not educated it will be very difficult for that nation to progress. Italy believes that it is just as important for women to be educated as it is for men to be educated. The strongest nations of the world all educate both men and women equally.

In Italy we value the education of women. Among all the women that live in Italy, 98% of them are literate. In fact, we have a higher percentage of female college graduates than male graduates. However, it was not always like this. We made it easier for women to attend school several years ago. Since then our women’s literacy rate has increased dramatically. We believe that this has made us stronger as a nation.

Italy is also aware that it is not just discrimination against women in certain cultures that prevents some nations from sending girls to school. It is also that in many nations families are not financially stable enough to send their girls to school. Even in some countries where it is not as hard to send girls to school the family decides that it is more important for the girls to stay at home.

Italy would strongly support the United Nation’s implementing new ways to make sure that all nations are giving girls the access to education that they deserve. It is important for all of the United Nations to band together and help fix this problem.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Jamaica
Delegate Name: Denny Carter
School: Ann Arbor Community High School

On the topic of Access to Education for Girls, Jamaica believes that it is an important issue and that everyone should be able to get an education. One school that we polled showed that girls outranked the boys in several areas in their education. Stopping a girl from being able to get in education puts them back years and not allow them to further their lives. One of the things that we do to make the girls get further ahead is that we instill them with knowing that they are set to certain rules such as not getting out of line while, their male counterparts are taught more to be themselves since that’s all that they will have. Countries that do not help their girls to get an education need to do that since there is no reason for them not to. Another thing about our girls is that they are held to a higher expectation is some aspects of their education, it is looked down upon more if a girl does not do well, they miss a lot of school, or if they rather be rich than have an education. Some things that we do need to change is the mentality of our girls since some of feel that they do not need college to be successful. For a country to become a great nation it has to have all of its people at their peak and allow for them to have the education that can further their lives and show their country in the best possible light. Making sure that girls can get the same type of education as boys is something the whole world should strive since they are the future and we want to make sure that generations down the line are prepared and educated in the things they will need to know, and that includes females.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Japan
Delegate Name: Thomas Ritz
School: Fishers High School

Japan believes that education is a basic human right, no matter who it is for or what country it is in. The issue of girls’ education arrives with the fact that some nations, mostly developing nations, have societal and economic traditions that withhold them from providing equal access and opportunity to education for girls. Nations may feel strapped for resources, and choose to disregard this severe issue.

To establish its approach to education for girls in other nations, Japan would first establish its position on education for girls within its borders. For primary and secondary education, the ratio of girls to boys in school is 1-to-1. Japan has had a successful history with providing equal education.

Despite efforts to brush the issue away from the forefront, education for girls is an imperative issue. Aside from being a basic human right that is not adequately ensured, education is the pathway to progressing as a nation, and ultimately, as a humanity. Offering education to half the population is not a successful policy, and also is directly against the goals of the United Nations.

To fight lack of education for young girls, one must first address the causes of this disparity. In a large portion of the world, it is not considered proper or traditional for women to be given equal education and career opportunities as men do; the job of women is assumed to be that of the household. Thus, there are already conditions which discourage women from pursuing education.

This becomes a serious deterrent to education when combined with economic challenges. With struggling education infrastructures, villages and mothers may feel no good reason to send their daughters to school, and decide that the better path for them is to stay at home. Even in some instances where young girls can be feasibly sent to school, the education infrastructure still restricts them, and refuses to offer them good opportunities.

To rectify this grievous problem, Japan suggests that UN Women works to improve conditions in developing nations such that sending young girls to school will be considered a viable option. In the greater arc of eradicating child marriage, and ensuring equal education at all levels, the first step is to make people know that education for girls is a necessity. Educating young girls leads to a reduction in child marriage because the formative years for girls will be seen as a time for education and foundation, not for marriage (or preparation for marriage). Japan hopes that the countries of UN Women will be able to all work together to achieve this imperative goal.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Mexico
Delegate Name: Anu Paul
School: Forest Hills Northern High School

As a nation with more than 114 million people, Mexico has a growing demand to educate the up and coming generations each year. The organization trying to meet these needs is called the Secretariat of Public Education. Public schools in Mexico are funded by the national government, courtesy of the Secretariat of Public Education (SPE); for public schools to be funded, their policies and mandates must be in accordance with those put in place by SPE. With this in mind, public school education is free to anyone and actually is compulsory up to ninth grade.

Primary education and secondary education are the compulsory levels of education in Mexico. Junior High School and High School are the two parts of secondary education. Primary school is equivalent to that of an elementary school in the US; the grades range from first to sixth. Before children start first grade though, they are required to attend preschool from ages three to five. Their third year of preschool is like kindergarten in the US and therefore it is literally translated as “Jardí́n de los Nin͂os”, or “garden of the children”. Regarding primary school, about 70% of the population, age fifteen and older has actually completed it. Fortunately, the ratio of girls to boys that have completed primary school is almost equal, which puts girls especially in a very good place when it comes to their careers later on in life. Secondary education in Mexico covers grades seven through twelve, and is a bit more complicated than primary schooling. With secondary education, there are two branches: Lower-Secondary education and Upper-Secondary education. Lower-Secondary education is the third and final level included in basic education. This level must be completed in order to move on to Upper-Secondary Education.

On paper, Mexico looks fairly decent when dealing with girls and their right to an education. However, many rural tribes are not as forward thinking as the more modernized cities. Many still treat their daughters and wives with little to no respect and often times, education takes a backseat when it comes to daily life. This is especially true for girls because of the male dominant aura that often assumes its role in these tribes. Because Mexico is so tradition based, rural areas especially are more subject to the gender-bias ideas. Women more often than not assume the role of babysitter, cook, house keeper, mother and wife.

There are many reasons why education is so critical in the lives of girls everywhere – not just in Mexico. Amazingly enough, with each additional year spent in primary education, a child’s potential earnings are increased by ten to twenty percent. Besides an increase in future income, girls are generally better off with an education; those who have had a substantial education usually marry later in life which results in fewer and healthier children. Now, the women who’ve had a good education, and consequently a good job, are in a much better position to take care of their children and ensure that their children have the same or better opportunities that they had. And so the cycle goes.

Unfortunately, in many places across the globe, education for girls is an uphill battle. Throughout Africa and in many other countries, tradition and ignorance are what ultimately deny a girl from a basic education. With 600 million girls in the developing world, and passive attitudes from governments, opportunities are limited.

As you can see, education not only empowers the girl child, but it raises the standards of life for her. At the Plan International “Because I am a Girl” launch event, the Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, said the following. “Education is a basic human right. Education is a powerful force for justice, peace and equal opportunity. Education opens the door to jobs, political participation and wider choices.” Millions of girls today lack the resources needed to access the education that could set them free. It is our responsibility to help these girls find their potential through education.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Mongolia
Delegate Name: Pierce Wiselogle
School: Royal Oak High School

Over the years many nations have been working hard to provide universal primary education, Mongolia being one of them. We feel that education needs to be more widely addressed to both young boys and girls throughout the country as a whole. Mongol Women have always played vital roles throughout the country providing them with more rights today and not separating them far from the males. We have currently been seeing a decrease in our school drop-out rate and approximately 60% of the drop-outs are boys going to help with family work.

Mongolia needs to focus on overall completion primary education for the country as a whole, but how are we to do that? How can we find the funds to promote schooling and make it more accessible to the country? The answer seems simple- raise money and build new schools- but it’s not. Yes, Mongolia is currently doing well, but it doesn’t change the fact that we still are adjusting to the new changes in our political system. Mongolia needs to find a way to fund for schooling without taking a heavy toll on the economy and pushing us into financial debt. As expected rural areas have much higher drop out rates. Mongolia must also find a way to lower drop-out rates and increase school enrollment. Mongolia is currently working to lower school costs such as food and supplies to make schools more accessible to poorer families. Mongolia is taking steps as well as supporting enrollment to migrant families and building more schools throughout rural areas.

Mongolia looks forward to meeting with the other countries and discussing ways of raising funds. Equal education should be established throughout all countries and Mongolia needs to be one of them. We need to obtain the equal distribution of wealth and fairly use the funds for providing universal schooling. We are hopeful for the positive outcome of the conference.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Netherlands
Delegate Name: Jack H. Somers
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy

Education is a human right and should be inclusive to all people regardless of race, economic status or even gender. Women have been excluded from not only higher education, but from basic schooling for centuries. Sadly, this is still a major issue today. Education is extremely important for the growth of society. It is one of the United Nations’ prime objectives to promote the welfare of the world, and this certainly falls under that category.

The nation of the Netherlands is working hard to overcome these complications on a global scale. We ourselves allow nearly all people to attend public school. In fact, in nearly one in four couples, the woman has had more education than the man. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranks our education as 8th in the world, and there is debate in the U.S. as to whether or not to adapt their educational structure to resemble ours. However, many countries cannot do this as well due to both economic problems and (mainly in Middle Eastern nations) conflicts with tradition.

The Netherlands has contributed to the global effort to improve education in several ways. The Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC) is a nonprofit based in The Hague that supports international reform in education not only here in the Netherlands, but in other countries around the world. They work closely with the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture & Science and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help us function with other countries to improve educational status. Independent non-profits such as these are an excellent way to aid economically weak countries that need assistance in education.

Another obstacle in the worldwide push for equal education is traditions that oppress women in society. Many nations in the Middle East are mainly Arabic and thus have stigma against girls attending school. However, some countries such as Kuwait have gotten passed these traditions and have allowed girls into their public schools and now their economy is in great shape. This should serve as an example to other countries that are against equal education.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Nigeria
Delegate Name: Kelsey Dorgan
School: Mattawan High School

Nigeria recognizes they are credited as having one of the lowest boy to girl ratios in their schools. The combined gross enrollment for primary, secondary and tertiary schools for female was 57% compared to 71% for males in 2002. Such drastic differences in numbers come from the countries inability to provide countrywide education because of lacking funds. Nigeria also believes tradition should be held in high regard. History has shown that many Nigerian parents choose to invest in children according to sex, so if they are only able to afford education for one child they are likely to choose their son over their daughter. Tradition has noted that women learn the responsibilities if keeping a good home for their husband so an education is not a vital aspect of a woman's life.

Over recent years women have made many advances to their role in Nigerian society. The UN Millenium Development Goals has played a crucial role in these changes, for the goals addressed deal directly with creating educational equality. Not only does the lack of education for women affect these women there is a direct correlation to the economy as a result. “For Nigeria to achieve the goal of being among the largest 20 economies in the world, she must rapidly educate the children, most of all, the girls. Educating girls is known to be the basis for sound economic and social development. Educating girls produces mothers who are educated and who will in turn educate their children, care for their families and provide their children with adequate nutrition,” says Dr. Robert Limlim, UNICEF’s Deputy Representative. It is clear to Nigeria that if they want a successful nation there will need to be more opportunities for girls to attend school from a young age and continued for as long as boys are offered school.

Nigeria hopes to work toward education reform for girls, but does not want to impede on many traditional beliefs held by their citizens. However, in order to develop their nation Nigeria believes it is time to offer more equal educational opportunities to boys and girls. The University of Logos in Nigeria has stated that this can be accomplished by first abolishing school fees amongst other fees that often stray girls away from attending school. The school also suggests that gender stereotypes of women must be discontinued.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Norway
Delegate Name: Elizabeth Patterson
School: Mattawan High School

Norway over the years has established an equal subsidized higher education for both boys and girls in society. Vocational training or higher education for the majority of citizens is emphasized. After ten years of compulsory schooling, students may go on to an upper secondary school and then to one of the four universities or many colleges. Education accounts for approximately 14 percent of government expenditures in Norway.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, which created a "Gender-Related Development Index" to measure achievements in increased life expectancy, educational attainment, and income equality for men and women in 146 countries, Norway ranked second behind Canada and ahead of Sweden. Our country believes that education is an important factor in ones life and we try to enable equal opportunities for both boys and girls within our education system.

Higher education for both boys and girls is offered in norway by a range of seven universities, five specialized colleges, 25 university colleges as well as a range of private colleges students can attend. Public education is virtually free, regardless of nationality, with an academic year with two semesters, from August to December and from January to June. The ultimate responsibility for the education lies with the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.

In 2008 our Government decided to allocate NOK 1 billion to promote education for girls through UNICEF’s work on supporting Education for All in developing countries.

Our Government has also previously provided support for education initiatives like Save the Children’s initiative Rewrite the Future aiming at providing education for children in areas affected by wars and conflicts. Norway for many years has provided support for education.

One of our goals is to help developing countries find ways in the education system to equalize the funds that are spent on education to provide funding for both boys and girls. We believe the choice of education for girls is up to the individual, but we as a country encourage at least the consideration of college and would encourage other countries to follow suit and implement our ideas. Education is a very important aspect in Norwegian life and we would like other countries to consider the important and crucial aspects of education for all residents of their country.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Pakistan
Delegate Name: Adwoa Tandoh
School: Roeper School

Pakistan acknowledges the right that girls have the right to education. Pakistan hopes that by providing access educational opportunities for girls in all nations will provide greater literacy and wellbeing for these young women, their future families’, and their nation. Pakistan realizes that in order to make this dream a reality it and other LDC’s would need sufficient funding which many nations do not currently have.

This money could be used for the construction of more schools in order to provide the access of education to girls who live in rural areas. Many girls live miles away from the nearest school and their families will not allow them to travel for fear that they will be attacked. Pakistan also realizes that many families do not allow their daughters to attend school based on their religious beliefs. Unfortunately, based on the right of freedom of religion we cannot interfere with the beliefs of a culture. The construction of madrasas (Islamic schools which provide residential facilities) help to satisfy the needs of those who are restricted education based on religion. The residential facilities also make it a more accessible education for girls.

Pakistan also recognizes another problem standing in the way of education for girls is poverty. Pakistan has made advances in providing education to girls. The government has made advances in setting non-formal schools to educate girls who have no access to schools. Using the influence of the media the government has tried to convince concerned parents that these schools are perfectly safe. Pakistan is pleased to note that in early November of this year, it has joined in partnership with the UN and the United Kingdom to provide families of Pakistan’s poorest students a small monthly stipend as an incentive as long as their daughters continue to attend primary school. Pakistan hopes that this model can be copied by other developed nations in partnership with less developed nations to improve access to education for girls.

Pakistan would like to include girls in education and has taken steps to do this politically. However, with a lack of funding and fundamental structural problems with the education system such as political appointment of teachers and a lack of political will, only limited progress can be made.

Pakistan would like to work with other nations to formulate a workable and long-term solution to this problem. Pakistan calls on all nations to bring the spirit of cooperation and problem solving to overcome this significant social problem.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Palestine
Delegate Name: Jennifer Mathers
School: Flint Southwestern Classical Academy

Although the Palestinian Authority seems like we do not educate the females as well as the males, it is not completely accurate. Females attend school, with an increasing amount of participation each school year, with the fact that they attend the appropriate classes and are focused on which classes they chose to be in. They chose to attend the classes they did, simply because of society. Society has told young females that they belong in certain categories of life, and bringing home the money, and dirty, hands-on jobs, was not for them. To allow equal education for both genders would be to overcome the cultural, as well as the social biases. The females tend to focus on the human resources fields, and this would be their own decision, but based on what others think of them, and their gender.

The value of educating girls can be demonstrated by what they do with their lives. Most of our females will become teachers, or something in the human resources area, simply because they have no socially accepted job other than. They are expected to do this, because the males dominate in every other category. If the females of our country become educators, that teach both genders, they must be teaching the females something right, since they are the ones teaching the males as well. The level of education in the matter of gender, should be equalized.

There would be an economic reason why females would be the first to be cut out of education. This would be because of the culture and religion. The oldest male of the house is in charge. Whatever he says, goes, and women are usually kept home and discouraged to have a job outside of the home. Therefore there would be no reason to educate these people, when the males would still be educated, and they are the one's outside of the home, earning a living, and making the money for the household.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Philippines
Delegate Name: Billy Whalen
School: Forest Hills Central High School

In the world today, many girls face discriminatory governments and laws that forbid them from obtaining an education. But in the Philippines, girls are given the opportunity to pursue education at both an elementary level and advancement through secondary education. The Filipino government recognizes equality between the sexes and is an advocate against the discrimination of women in the educational system. This attitude has been reflected into the educational system within the country. It is recorded that the majority of those enrolled in school in the Philippines are women. They outnumber the males in nearly every secondary school in the country. With the former problem of gender discrimination in mind, the government of the Republic of the Philippines has established countless laws, signed multiple treaties, and attended many conventions on the issue of access to education for girls. Additionally many NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations) have played a dominant role in the country for both establishing access to education for women and securing its importance in the government.

The Filipino government has numerous laws ensuring the equality of women in education. The Barangay (Village) Day Care Center Law calls for the creation of daycares and early education systems in every village so women can be introduced to the educational system at an early age. The Early Childhood Care and Development Act enforces that each village maintain its daycare and early educational facilities. In addition, the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, encourages decision making from schools on more local levels as opposed to solely following the laws of the government. These laws solidify the fact that the government in the Philippines has made large strides to better their people. But not only has the government made progress with in the Philippines; official NGO’s have stepped up and combated discrimination. Organizations such as Popular Education and People Enforcement (PEPE) and Education For Life Foundation (ELF) have played the most dominant roles in the country by siding with the weak and advocating for a social change through the empowerment of women.

The Republic of The Philippines urges the United Nations to help with the improvement of education systems both domestically and internationally. The nation values education and it believes that in order for a person to contribute to society and advance both the government and help industrialize the economy, it needs an educated population. The issues the government would like to see addressed are keeping youth in school as opposed to working at young ages to support family income, provide schools in disaster prone areas and areas of conflict with proper tools, and educate kids on school work as well as “life lessons” that will make them less vulnerable in real world experiences.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Russia
Delegate Name: Dorian Thompson
School: Fishers High School

While Russia’s history of access to education for women and girls is not ideal, the present and future have become exceedingly bright. In 1989, 6.73 million women had studied in institutions of higher education compared to the 6 million men that had. In 2002, the difference in statistics between men and women grew enormously. 10.76 million women had achieved higher educations compared to the 8.61 million men that had in the same year. As of July of 2011, women still continue to gain higher education more frequently than men. Since 1724, Russia has been proudly educating women and girls to achieve higher than ever before.

Russian women are able to become educated to obtain higher status in working society. In Russia, secondary education is free. The curriculum for both men and women is the same in the Russian education system. Men and women take the same classes, and Russian school systems even provide women with classes in women’s roles in society. Dress making, cooking and housekeeping are all common classes women may take. After their secondary education, every Russian girl is permitted to take a two-year course of higher education or enter into a specialized course, such as college or technical school. All Russian women are permitted to a one year academic vacation if she is unable to attend classes for a long period of time. This shows Russia believes that women should be able to have access to education no matter their situation. The Russian constitution states in Paragraph 19 of Article 2 that “men and women enjoy equal rights and freedoms and have equal possibilities to exercise them”. In Article 253 of the constitution, Russia states that there are approximately 600 jobs where the use of women’s labor is prohibited. This shows that women have a giant role in Russian society and economy, and their education is just as important as the men’s.

In regards to the current state of women’s education, Russia believes that some slight improvements could be made. Education should be easily accessible to both men and women around the world, as it is in Russia. While the people of Russia understand that free education may not be a practical thing, Russian people believe strongly that improvements need to be made to the UN to ensure that women everywhere have access to education. Russia suggests adding an article to the declaration of Human Rights. This would guarantee that all humans have equal access to education.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Rwanda
Delegate Name: Sydney Conroy
School: Kalamazoo Central High School

Universal primary education is the second goal of the UN Millennium Development Goals and as stated in the Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right of education. Education shall be free… Elementary education shall be contemporary.” There is no doubt that education for females should carry the precedent it does for males. Massive barriers stand in the way of girls going to school around the world. With the international community working for equal access to equal education, the girls of the world will benefit greatly.

The inequality for females to attend school has to end in order for the world to advance forward. The Republic of Rwanda has advanced since the Genocide in 1994, taking steps to improve education and environment for girls to go to school. The Rwandan government has partnered with the Rwanda Girls Initiative to educate girls throughout the country. UNICEF and UNDAF are also contributing to the improvement of the conditions in which girls have to attend schools. Rwanda has ninety-seven percent of the girls in the country going to primary schools, one of the leading numbers in the LDC list.

The Rwandan government is continuing to reform the state of female education, although, several actions have shown improvement. Rwanda no longer has fees to attend public schools, a problem that faces an abundance of schools in Africa. The school curriculum within Rwanda has changed to accommodate the cultural roles of women; girls are taught life skills at a young age. It is believed that the way to lower the spiked HIV/AIDS rate, which is the highest in young women and girls, is through education. Another Millennium Goal of the United Nations can be achieved by improving education for females: combating HIV/AIDS. An abundance of goals can be achieved by meeting this attainable goal for education for girls.

Rwanda encourages the rest of the world to take steps for improvement for girl’s education. It is attainable for the world to demand equal access to equal education for girls. Paired with the United Nations, the goal to end gender disparities can be achieved.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: South Korea
Delegate Name: Paige Etchison
School: Fishers High School

Globally, progress to an equal opportunity educational system has been made. Education in first world countries is equal between the sexes, with men and women both getting into college and secondary educations similar to this. Women have even begun to surpass men in some aspect of education and degrees in these first world countries. Yet with third world countries, girls and women are often denied equal opportunity education based on factors such as religion, lack of resources to educate both men and women, lack of appropriate facilities for girls (latrines, etc.) and the prioritizing of education of children within families, based on economic and social benefits to having more educated male children than female children. Less access to education for girls and women is an issue mostly in poor countries, sub-Saharan African countries, and southeastern Asian countries, where men have priorities over women in the educational systems and with jobs later down the road. Women have the same mental capabilities as men, able to work and follow along with schoolwork and curriculum just as well as boys and men, yet in rural and poor areas, 50% of girls do not receive a secondary education (statistically).

The Republic of Korea feels that education should be equal for both girls and boys, and that all opportunities offered to boys should be given to girls as well. Having improved women’s education is extremely beneficial, to both the country itself and for the women receiving the education. Girls benefit in that they have more knowledge and are learned, can get better jobs and have a better economic future, and in the future health of girls. This in turn benefits the country’s economy with a higher GDP, as well as healthier people in general (when girls are given access to schooling, then they can receive health education and be healthier in general, and then raise their children in a healthy way, who will continue this cycle). The education of girls is most prudent to the development of third world and poor countries, as well as rural areas on a global scale (even in first world countries).

The Republic of Korea has many ideas for creating better access to education for girls everywhere. Firstly, information regarding this issue and the benefits to the education of women needs to be spread by any means possible or necessary, including public awareness campaigns, working directly with the government of countries with fewer girls attending school to show them the benefits of educating girls, and by adding this information in smaller doses into school curriculum. Secondly, girls should be empowered in schools. This could happen in a number of ways, from adding latrine (and other necessary) facilities for girls in schools, to including powerful women in history in the classroom studies, and removing as much bias from classrooms as possible (equal treatment by teachers and school staff). Lastly, a donation system could be set up, so that girls who come from poorer areas are able to attend school without an economic burden placed upon them or their families. People who live in wealthier countries or areas could donate money, school supplies, clothing, shoes, and anything else that girls (and even some boys in need) need for their schooling that they would not be able to obtain without this help. Education for women is imperative to the success of struggling countries and areas on a global scale.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Syria
Delegate Name: Connor Larson
School: Forest Hills Northern High School

Education should be a human right ensured by the state. Education is important for any nation’s survival and progression towards the future. Education of women is becoming necessary for a country to advance toward becoming a powerful and respectful nation. Once released from illiteracy, women play effective roles in the cultural, economical and social fields after having acquired educational and vocational skills that enable them to exert productive activities and therefore improve their living level and that of their environment and society.

The Syrian Arab Republic has sought to eliminate discriminatory practices against women and encourage women’s education by ensuring access to all levels of education, including university level education. The women to men parity index of Syrian citizens aged 15 through 24 has increased to 0.955, meaning that for every 1000 men that are literate, there are 955 literate women within the age group of 15-24. To uphold the principle of equal opportunities, the Syrian Arab Republic has introduced free education at all levels, with access to higher education depending on the results obtained in the school-leaving examination. This education has been made compulsory for all children, including girls up until grade nine.

However, any resolutions coming from this committee should take into consideration the differing values of cultures across the globe. A resolution could be seen as just in one country could also be seen as an outrage in another country. Therefore, it should be made so that every country has its own education system that is adjusted appropriately to fit its religious, cultural, and social values.

The Syrian Arab Republic hopes to be an example for other Middle Eastern countries and other countries around the globe. Syria has set the bar for universal education, and is moving closer to closing the gender gap in education. Syria hopes that it can fully achieve these goals and once it does, it will lead countries that share the same goals along the path to universal education.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Turkey
Delegate Name: Stephanie Tanis
School: Forest Hills Central High School

Turkey has made it its mission to improve primary education, but has primarily been focusing on education for men. Female illiteracy is a major issue in Turkey, with 1 out of 5 women being unable to read or write. Illiteracy is particularly prevalent among rural women, who are often not sent to school as girls. Half of girls aged between 15 and 19 are neither in the education system nor in the workforce. The government and various other foundations are engaged in education campaigns in Southeastern Anatolia to improve the rate of literacy and education levels of women. It is also during times of hardship when women's education is the first to go. But a 2008 poll by the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey showed that almost half of urban Turkish women believe economic independence for women is unnecessary, reflecting a heritage of patriarchy, showing the world that even women themselves do not find it necessary to receive a secondary education. Seeing this, it makes sense why Turkey feels the need to improve primary education for both men and women, but also why Turkey has been focusing on improving secondary education for men as women in Turkey do not find secondary education to be crucial for them.

Following the proclamation of the Turkish Republic, primary education was declared to be compulsory and this status was subsequently secured by Article 42 of the 1982 Constitution. The 1990’s have witnessed great strides in overcoming problems related to primary education in Turkey for both men and women. In August 1997, Parliament approved a new Basic Education Law (4306) which extended the duration of compulsory schooling from five to eight years for women Implementation of the Basic Education Programme was facilitated by the extension of a World Bank loan to supplement governmental funds and donations. Since the Programme’s inception, the net enrollment rate in basic education has increased from 75.6% to 91.8%. Girls’ enrollment rates in rural areas show the most rapid progress where enrollment in grade six increased by 162% in the first year of the Programme. Turkey wants every child in its country to attend a minimum of eight years of education; it is engrained in our constitution.

Turkey would like to see the UN fund more money toward primary education for both men and women. This money should go toward building more schools in rural areas, thus giving citizens no excuse to not attend school. Also, there should be governmental incentives for parents who keep their children in school for all eight years required by the Republic of Turkey and maintain a high attendance rate of over 80% each year.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Rebecca Manack
School: Williamston High School

The United Kingdom is a firm believer in the equality of the sexes; in fact 61% of our college graduates are women. We believe that the equality between the sexes is a goal that can only be reached by allowing the same education opportunities for women as men. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to an education. As it stands now many women do not have access to equal education. In many developing countries paying for any sort of education system is difficult and thus families are careful who to educate. Usually the ones, who are chosen, due to discrimination against women in many cultures, are male. Even if there is an abundance of opportunities for children to get an education, parents may be hesitant to place their girls in school. This is due to the delusion that the only place women belong is in domestics and that their safety may be compromised if indeed they did attend. The UK thinks no woman should ever be worried about their safety, especially in a school. When these women do take the chance and go to school they still may not have the proper facilities or the same access to facilities as a male would be.

The United Kingdom would propose a few different solutions to this puzzle. Trying to change the discrimination toward women in countries where this has been the norm for centuries is an obscene goal. However, if we look at the different aspects of discrimination, we may be able to conquer this conundrum. In many Islamic countries culture is a main driver of this discrimination, thus we must work within the parameters. We could do this by suggesting female only schools in order to not fight the culture already in place, but work around it. The fact that even girls who have the opportunity to go to school and still don’t because don’t feel safe is tragic. So by giving women the option of separate facilities and schools they may feel more comfortable attending and be able to have the same resources. However, this still leaves one of the main problems; funding to school in developing countries. The UN Women already has the Fund for Gender Equality and the UK may propose to submit an application to fund these separate schools, in order to preserve both a woman’s right to use the same facilities, while keeping their safety in mind.

The United Kingdom will continue to hold steadfast our position on this topic. Every woman has the right to an education and we must do everything in our power to ensure they have the opportunity to receive one. We have much faith in the fact that women are can be treated equal to men, regardless of race, religion, or culture. 69% of the UK’s workforce is educated women. These women have proven that a women’s only place is not at home, but in the workplace and in schools preparing themselves for a bright futures.

Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: United States
Delegate Name: Sarah Fruck
School: Royal Oak High School

Under education for girls is the effect of many causes, child marriage and unequal educations being two examples. It even comes down to lack of separate girl bathrooms. Most girls stop their education after elementary school due to these causes. Education is important to girls and gives them better opportunities and resources. As Kadiatou Coulibaly, Ph.D. who is the World Education Director of the Ambassadors’ Girls’ Scholarship Program, says “The world is acknowledging the importance of the girl child. Girls are traditionally the last to receive an education, the last to be fed at the table, and on the whole seen as less valuable than boys.” What is the reason that we think of girls as less valuable than boys?

How can we, as a committee, help countries that need economic support provide education for girls? How can we also make schools better for girls in the sense of private bathrooms, equal education and safe transportation to and from school? These are questions we must answer.

The United States would like to see a resolution that would represent, include, and protect girls at schools and transport to schools. We would also like to help countries with infrastructure, if needed, for better roads, bathrooms and transportation and of course, better school for girls to attend.

As the United States National Security Strategy says “Evidence shows that investments in women’s employment, health, and education are correlated with greater economic growth and more successful development outcomes.” Providing a better education for girls is beneficial to a whole community.

We know that no country can reach its economic potential when half of its population is under educated so let’s work towards building a better future for girls.