Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Dominican Republic
Delegate Name: Kathryn Murphy
School: Mattawan High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Dominican Republic position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
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.
