DEEPENING THE DEBATE ON THOSE STILL LEFT BEHIND

Girls’ performance in mathematics now equal to boys (UNESCO report) Paris, 27 April

https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/2022genderreport

https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/sites/default/files/Press_release_2022_...

In mathematics, the gender gap favouring boys in early grades gradually disappears, according to a new publication by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report. The report calls for us to think harder about gender inequality and the barriers that still hold girls back from realising their potential. Deepening the debate on those still left behind, an annual UNESCO gender report, analysed data from 120 countries in primary and secondary education to offer a global picture. The findings show that in the early years, boys perform better than girls in mathematics but, this gender gap disappears later.

This research confirms that the gender gap in learning has closed even in the poorest countries. And in some countries, the gap is now reversed. For example, by grade 8, the gap is in favour of girls in mathematics by 7 percentage points in Malaysia, by 3 points in Cambodia, by 1.7 points in Congo and by 1.4 points in the Philippines.

However, biases and stereotypes are still likely to affect learning outcomes. Even though girls catch up in mathematics in upper primary and secondary education, boys are far more likely to be overrepresented among the highest performers in mathematics in all countries. In middle- and high-income countries, girls in secondary school are scoring significantly higher in science. Despite this advantage, girls are still less likely to opt for scientific careers, indicating that gender biases could still be obstacles to the pursuit of further education in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Girls outperform boys in reading While girls perform well in mathematics and science, they perform even better in reading. More girls achieve minimum proficiency in reading than boys. The largest gap in primary education is in Saudi Arabia, where 77% of girls but only 51% of boys in grade 4 achieve minimum proficiency in reading. In Thailand, girls outperform boys in reading by 18 percentage points, in the Dominican Republic by 11 points and in Morocco by 10 points.

Even in countries where girls and boys are at the same level in reading in the early grades, as in Lithuania and Norway, the gap in favour of girls rises to roughly 15 percentage points by age 15. “Girls are demonstrating how well they can do in school when they have access to education. But many, and particularly the most disadvantaged, are not getting the chance to learn at all. We shouldn’t be afraid of this potential. We should feed it and watch it grow. For example, it’s heartbreaking that most girls in Afghanistan do not have the opportunity to show the world their skills,” said Malala Yousafzai, co-founder of Malala Fund. "Although more data is needed, recent releases have helped paint an almost global picture of gender gaps in learning outcomes right before the pandemic. Girls are doing better than boys in reading and in science and are catching up in mathematics.

But they are still far less likely to be top performers in mathematics because of continuing biases and stereotypes. We need gender equality in learning and ensure that every learner fulfils their potential,” said Manos Antoninis, Director of UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report. 2 Notes to editors: The researchers examined studies by the Latin-American Laboratory for Assessment of the Quality of Education (LLECE), Programme D’Analyse Des Systèmes Educatifs de la CONFEMEN (PASEC), Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) surveys. Most of these data have been released in the last 18 months but refer to the situation just before the pandemic struck.

The Global Education Monitoring Report, in brief

Achieving the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) on education requires sound evidence and analysis to support policy-making, facilitate the sharing of good practice, and hold those responsible to account for fulfilling their commitments. The Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report) is the global public good that serves this purpose.

Established in 2002, the GEM Report is an editorially independent report, hosted and published by UNESCO. At the 2015 World Education Forum, it received a mandate from 160 governments to monitor and report on:

● Progress on education in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular reference to the SDG 4 monitoring framework
● The implementation of national and international strategies to help hold all relevant partners to account for their commitments, as part of the overall SDG follow-up and review process.
 
The annual GEM Report is based on multiple sources of data, which enables it to provide a macro view of education issues. Through multiple communication channels, it reaches all regions of the world. It serves as a foundation for evidence-based advocacy to promote progress towards SDG 4, including by convening dialogue on education issues among key decision makers that can effect policy change.

With 17 editions between 2002 and 2021, the GEM Report is an indispensable part of the global education architecture. Four evaluations, including one carried out in 2018, have found that it successfully fulfils its mandate, providing rigorous, relevant, high-quality and authoritative evidence for its broad audiences. Its users include but are not limited to: governments (including leadership and senior civil servants of ministries of education and finance and implementing agencies); experts (including academic researchers, think tanks and consultants); multilateral, international, regional and national development organizations; teachers and their unions; youth, students and their organizations; civil society and non-government organizations engaged in education; and the general public.
 
The GEM Report’s vision is to serve as the main resource for decision makers who seek comparative research and knowledge to inform their actions on inclusive and equitable quality education at national, regional and global levels.

Its mission is to synthesise, analyse and clearly present the best available data, evidence and research to explain progress and differences in education, and to make recommendations that stimulate reflection and dialogue and thereby improve policymaking.

The GEM Report team aims to fulfil its vision and serve its mission in accordance with its core values:

● Quality: We commit to maintaining the highest standards in our reporting of evidence and data so as to be able to inform advocacy and hold education stakeholders to account for delivering on their commitment to SDG 4.
● Independence: We commit to maintaining our editorial independence, which is essential to serving our audiences and stakeholders; the GEM Report is not beholden to the interests of any country, organization, agenda or group, and we commit to upholding that autonomy.
 
The theory of change underlying the GEM Report’s approach is based on the idea that, by making rigorous evidence, data and recommendations on education available and accessible, the GEM Report will improve policy dialogue and peer learning and will strengthen education systems, plans, policies and budgets towards achieving SDG 4.