The Uk government has announced a whooping sum of £45 million for higher education programme to assist young women and girls.
This was made known by the Deputy Foreign Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, at the Education World Forum.
He pointed out that the new £45 million programme will create safer and more accessible learning environments for women and girls to remove barriers preventing the next generation of leaders from enrolling in higher education.
Mitchell added that the programme aims to benefit 1 million young people, improving their opportunities and employability.
This programme will bring together businesses, universities and governments to form 12 partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
“Greater gender equality brings freedom, boosts prosperity and strengthens global security.
“Countries can’t develop if half the population are held back from fulfilling their full potential.
“The UK is ensuring that the next generation of female teachers, doctors, inventors and leaders can unlock their potential without being held back by gender bias and discrimination.
“Education is the foundation for empowerment. It equips women and girls with the knowledge to challenge harmful norms and make informed decisions, including about their health”, he said.
The Strengthening Higher Education for Female Empowerment (SHEFE) programme will support women and girls by investing in initiatives that reduce gender-based violence, for example by training staff and students and strengthening institutional policies to protect them.
It will also help to increase uptake of STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects and female representation in senior academic positions, as well as improving the quality of university curriculum by co-designing with industry and government to meet labour market needs.
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