Girls at the centre: the steering committee behind Girls' Vision for Education
Meet Hassena, Elizabeth, Antara, Laurine, and Miriam — the five young women who made up the Girls’ Vision for Education steering committee. Read why they joined, how the experience has impacted their advocacy and why girls’ voices must be at the centre of education policy.
Have you ever wondered what education would be like if it was designed by girls, for girls?
What would make it better? What would girls learn? How would girls feel if they received this education? Who has the power to make these changes? What would governments prioritise investing in?
These are only a fraction of the questions we asked girls from over 34 different countries as the Girls’ Vision for Education steering committee. Antara, 24, Elizabeth, 21, Hassena, 23, Miriam, 19 and Laurine, 25 helped finalise the design of the overall project, conduct background research, pilot and implement the workshops and putting into the survey design and response analysis.
As girls and young women’s voices are sidelined in conversations about their education, we wanted to bring them to the forefront of the conversation. Through workshops and online surveys, we learned that —without a doubt — girls see themselves as actors for change and want to take control of their future.
Tamilore Omojola: What inspired you to join the steering committee of Girls’ Vision?
Hassena Eberahim, Ethiopia: I grew up with critical challenges of gender-related social norms as an Afar pastoral girl. But I am one of luckiest pastoral girls to grow up with a youth grassroots organization that addresses young women and girls’ fundamental rights [in the community]. There were so many brave and visionary girl dropouts from school due to the social norms and negative perceptions of their gender. Because of our community's beliefs around girls' education, many Afar pastoral girls didn't achieve their childhood dreams.
Elizabeth Olowoyo, Nigeria: I was excited to see an initiative dedicated to having young women in positions where society would usually not have them. Having young women co-lead the initiative was a practical way to instill leadership skills in girls and young women; showing us that our contributions and thoughts always matter. My mother was deprived of quality education while growing up and sometimes wished she had the opportunity. Her resilience thus far has also been a great inspiration for me.
"The belief that one day girls everywhere will be given the right not just to education, but the kind of education she believes only exists in her dreams — being a part of bringing this to life excites me." (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Olowoyo)
Tamilore Omojola: As part of Girls’ Vision, you helped girls around the world explore what a more inclusive education could look like. Tell me about the process and how you stayed motivated throughout the consultation process.
Hassena Eberahim, Ethiopia: One of the main challenges for Afar pastoral girls is the deep-rooted social norms of our society that negatively affect girls’ education and their fundamental rights. In Afar, women and girls are dominated by men and socially discouraged from any form of social, political and economic activity. Many girls in my community who dropped out of school were forced to marry at an early age, which is locally known as ‘’Abesuma’’ which is a pre-arranged marriage once decided by the clan leaders to marry her relative as per our traditional marriage system. In line with this, I was so motivated and inspired to engage many pastoral girls in the designing process of the consultation [to make sure] girls’ educational barriers were included, according to their unique context.
“The freedom we had while designing the consultation reflects the freedom girls [should] have when deciding their future.”
Elizabeth Olowoyo, Nigeria: Designing a workshop that would help girls imagine themselves as having limitless power to provide the kind of education they want. It’s like helping them imagine they are their own genies and could grant any wishes they have about education. The belief that one day girls everywhere will be given the right not just to education, but the kind of education she believes only exists in her dreams — being a part of bringing this to life excites me.
Miriam Matar, Lebanon: We focused a lot on inclusivity and accessibility. We wanted the girls to feel like they were having a casual conversation and not feel pressured — like it's a study being performed on them. It's just us wanting to hear how they envision their education and how they would design this future. The freedom we had while designing the consultation reflects the freedom girls [should] have when deciding their future.
"I am one of luckiest pastoral girls to grow up with a youth grassroots organization that addresses young women and girls’ fundamental rights [in the community]. There were so many brave and visionary girl dropouts from school due to the social norms and negative perceptions of their gender. " (Photo courtesy of Hassena Eberahim)
“Having young women co-lead the initiative was a practical way to instill leadership skills in girls and young women; showing us that our contributions and thoughts always matter.”
Tamilore Omojola: What is one unique lesson you learned during this process? Did anything surprise you?
Antara Farnaz Khan, Bangladesh: These consultations helped me to listen to people from different countries. Not just in my work in this field, but also personally, as a feminist. It was very helpful to see how people from other countries — with a history similar to my own, like India and Pakistan— modelled their education policies. Listening and understanding different cultural and political contexts makes you a better advocate. Those conversations pushed me to think harder about what I'm doing in the context of international discourse around education.
Miriam Matar, Lebanon: It was my first time working with a team of only women and young girls. One of the best lessons is how fruitful it can be when young female minds gather around and think together. It shows how effective [our] diversity and teamwork can be. I thought working individually was easier but now, I think it's the opposite — collectiveness is nice.
Laurine John Lyatuu, Tanzania: I learned during this process that the true meaning of inclusive education is allowing those who are directly affected to define it. It’s about allowing students to share their experiences and perspectives. Their input is invaluable in ensuring that initiatives are genuinely effective and responsive to their needs.
“The things that girls said they needed and hoped for in their schooling experience reach policymakers who have the power to shape their schooling experience. I hope that this is going to successfully redistribute power to girls in shaping their experience.”
Tamilore Omojola: What do hope will happen with the result of Girls’ Vision?
Miriam Matar, Lebanon: The more young girls we reach, the better our perspectives on how to solve this issue and build a proper plan [for the future of girls’ education]. I hope it’s a sustainable project that can transcend throughout time, throughout this organisation, and this steering committee. I want all girls to take this idea with them to their own countries and implement similar ideas and consultations and it has a sustainable impact.
Antara Farnaz Khan, Bangladesh: I hope the things that the girls said they needed and hoped for in their schooling experience reach policymakers who have the power to shape their schooling experience. I hope that this is going to successfully redistribute power to girls in shaping their experience.
"We wanted the girls to feel like they were having a casual conversation and not feel pressured — like it's a study being performed on them. It's just us wanting to hear how they envision their education and how they would design this future." (Photo courtesy of Miriam Matar)
Tamilore Omojola: Girls’ Vision pushes girls and young women to the forefront, asking them to imagine a future for education that is designed to address their needs as students. In a world that often excludes girls, what is some advice you’d like to give to other young women who want to activate their community?
Elizabeth Olowoyo, Nigeria: We need to speak up! Girls and young women are taught to endure no matter how debilitating the situation is. I encourage young people to speak up, join communities or groups of fellow young women working together to ensure gender bias in education doesn’t linger to the next generation. I also want to challenge and remind all my sisters from all over the world that the next generation is counting on us on you and I to speak up for girls’ education!
Antara Farnaz Khan, Bangladesh: The only advice that I would give them is [that] their only source of power is their collectivism. You need to collectivize if [you] want to advocate for something in their school [or community]. I appreciate the power that students can have when they get together, given the students of Bangladesh got together and we brought down a 15-year-old regime. Coming together [with a sense of] shared values and an understanding of their rights as girls, to access education and collectivizing around that is the only advice that I can give because everything else comes after that.
Co-led by young women leaders and Malala Fund, the Girls’ Vision seeks to reimagine secondary education to better meet the needs, wants and ambitions of girls. The consultation has now concluded and we expect to share the findings and recommendations early next year.
This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.
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