Topic: Access to Education for Girls
Country: Netherlands
Delegate Name: Jack H. Somers
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Netherlands position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
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.
