Say Yes, Summer 2003: A Gender Review in Education (4)
Solutions
Illiteracy amongst people of low-income remains a problem, with a disparity between the sexes in both areas. Source: State Institute of Statistics (SIS) 2003
At the Governmental level, enforced registration of births and marriages will provide a sound basis for monitoring the progress and development of all children from the earliest stages, not just in education but also in the planning of immunisation and other vitally important health programmes.
Early childhood education should be vigorously promoted for all children -- boys and girls alike -- since provision for children of either sex is currently not sufficient.
Within the educational system, families, administrators, teachers, the Government, NGOs and girl children themselves should be involved in a national strategy to place Turkish women and men on an equal footing in the future of the country. Stereotyping and rearing of children and the traditional beliefs from which these patterns stem should be resolved at familial and institutional levels or they will continue to hamper progress.
The lack of hope exhibited by low-income families in secondary education and the future employment of their girls should be rectified. The creation of incentives for girls to remain in school would help to overcome the reluctance of many families in both urban and rural areas to lose income or the contribution of their girls’ labour. Costs such as books and supplies, clothing, shoes, food and transportation could be subsidised by improved budgetary allocations and partnerships with agencies such as the Social Solidarity and Assistance Fund (SYDTF) and NGOs in order to correct the preferential treatment of boys over girls.
Expenditure on education and the numbers of teachers and schools should be increased. Schools should be made more accessible --laudably, free bus services to primary schools over distances exceeding 2.5km are currently in place. The physical environment of school buildings needs to be improved in order to encourage attendance.
The education system would take a great leap forward if issues of discipline and curriculum content were addressed to make the school more relevant to girls and women. Quite simply, school needs to be presented as a more attractive, engaging proposition for them. Many girls interviewed said they would like to see a similar free travel service to secondary schools such as that for primary schools, for instance.
| Country | 1985-1987 | 1995-1997 |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 1.2% | 2.2% |
| Bulgaria | 5.4% | 3.2% |
| Syria | 4.8% | 4.2% |
| Iran | 3.7% | 4.0% |
| Greece | 2.2% | 3.1% |
| Spain | 3.7% | 5.0% |
| UK | 4.8% | 5.3% |
| USA | 5.0% | 5.4% |
| Norway | 6.5% | 7.7% |
Source: UNDP Human Development Report (HDR), 2002
At a glance it is clear that Turkish women and girls need more from the educational system: they lose out because ultimately they are unable to take part in the shaping of society to the extent that their male counterparts do. Improving the educational system for girls would undoubtedly mean a better future for them and for Turkey.
Dr Otaran, the coordinator of the Review is optimistic:
The shortfall in literacy amongst women is dramatic, but it isn’t drastic -- let’s not forget that in comparative terms, we’re really talking about something like 10% of the population. The situation can be remedied if the willingness is there on the part of the Government to invest in budget and resources so that we can move forward.
Note: The Gender Review in Education, Turkey 2003, has been reviewed and approved by both the Ministry of National Education (MONE) and the State Institute of Statistics (SIS).
Read the full version of A Gender Review in Education, Turkey 2003 online or download the document in pdf format [PDF 632KB].
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SAY YES, SUMMER 2003
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