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Thesis

1. G.I.R.L. Girl International Resource Learning Organization

This paper argues for creating an interactive approach that will create a model for change in the area of education for girls in the developing world. The "Girl International Resource Learning: Organization", (G.I.R.L.) as the result of this paper will be created, that would make effective use of the Internet resulting equitable education. Change must first be locally administered to meet political, cultural and societal differences, and then joined to surrounding regions and finally to the nation-state. There can be significant change in the equal status of girls in education on a global scale.

a. Model for change

The paper and companion web-site will add a new contribution to the field by offering: a concrete framework of strategies to create solutions, and a critical thinking and problem solving model to provide the outline for solutions to the problem of lack of access for girls’ having an education. The web-site, takes on a new unique quality in pursuing the goal of equal and quality basic education for girl children in the developing world with its thousands of links, tools for learning, comprehensive coverage, and the means for students, parents and community to take action. This web-site can serve as a mechanism for change in the field of girl child education.

i. Publicity

Not only cooperation and coordination of various individuals, developmental agencies, non-profit groups, international & non-governmental organizations that are now acting unilaterally is needed but publicity is essential for lasting change. This web-site will act as a means to generate the publicity that is needed in order to support the work that is already being done for children. This will be partially done, as the web-site will be able to publish books about the needs of children by children in cooperation with Rebecca House International Publishing Company. This unique ability will generate publicity for the issue of getting the girl child placed on the world’s agenda and facilitating financial resources.

How can an education web-site impact Civil Society in the developing world? What is the role for Internet Technology in the Third World? Can the problem of the lack of education of the girl child be addressed by educating all students and teachers in the developed world? The literature is growing and the evidence for the promise of the Internet as an advocacy tool is promising. "Advocacy is essential to sharing key information, building partnerships and maintaining political will." (UN Chronicle: 1999, 40) The use of an educational web site along with international conferences, working groups, informal networks, newsletters and organizations that are specifically dedicated to girls’ education all contribute to the conscience and key elements in building and sustaining advocacy on this issue.

In order to reach a wider audience of support for providing education to girl children there has been "dramatic technological innovations have led to expanding educational opportunities." The Internet has allowed resources to be "focused in a uniformed fashion with the promise of tapping into the Internet as a way to transform teaching and learning." (Cook: 2001)

The work of International Non Governmental Organizations like Children Research International Network, Childreach, Save the Children Sweden, OXFAM and United Nations organizations like UNICEF and UNESCO are engaged and working to build capacity for children in the areas of education, labor, health and security. These groups are helping the current level of implementation by nation-states for the human rights for all children. Yet most children and educators in the developed world are unaware of the work being currently done.

The work for the education of girl children being done today by non-governmental groups is already starting small grassroots movements. "They have created a movement of education on some level, and with the Convention on the Rights of the Child have created an internationally accepted standard in which to continue the work." (UNICEF, 2001)

ii. Paulo Freire

Political participation for the girl child with no voice or power is a dilemma that needs to be solved. The theory of ‘Education of Girls’ equals Development’ is an extension of Paulo Freire’s teaching of a critical thinking model and the promotion of a social dialogue. The paper posits’ that when the social fabric changes to include equal and quality access to education for girls the economic development of the local and national economy will improve. With prosperity, dialogue can be commenced to further develop the social fabric, leading to a more democratic process.

Paulo Freire’s theories on dialogue and critical thinking in the developing world provides a means to satisfy the demand of the web site to have a concrete and specific framework of strategies designed to find specific ways to meet the needs and constraints of the girl child.

Paulo Friere’s theory states the teaching of critical thinking and the promotion of dialogue will shift the awareness of individual human rights. A change in the social fabric for girls in society will be augmented.

It is easy to agree with Paulo Freire in principle but one should argue that it is the introduction of the economic factor where the education of girls’ leads to direct development improvement. Studies that have been conducted show this connection concretely. Lawrence Summers former Vice President of Economics and Chief Economist for the World Bank asserts "that an extra year of education for females can result in a 10 to 20 percent rise in income." It is vital to engage other non-state and state actors who can create a Freirean dialogue for the economic good for civil society. This can only work if there are the means linking tools, expertise, resources, people, information and knowledge of economic and education infrastructure.

b. Internet Research

Christopher Moersch states that the "term computer efficiency is defined as to the degree to which computers can be used to support concept based or process based instruction, consequential learning, and higher order thinking skills e.g. interpreting data, reasoning and solving real-world problems." (Moersch: 1996-7, 52) The web-site is the most efficient use of technology to solve the real-world problem of educating the girl child that leads to economic development.

The web-site also offers disciplinary advancement because of the research capability to the multitude of links to sites used by children advocate experts. Having a framework for strategies designed to take action and to meet the specific needs of girl children in the developing world can become the backbone of a new model framework of international education on a global scale.

K.W. Craver states that, as new information technologies are substituted for previous industrial operations in the United States the society will "require individuals with the ability to think, to reason, to solve problems, to analyze to make comparisons, to generalize, to digest information, and to create new information." This ability to critically think is a fundamental part of being able to affect change. In the Freireian method of engaging social dialogue to affect the policies of governments, "civil society needs the tools of how to frame arguments with facts and statistics, as well with reasoned thought." (Craver: 1989, 129-130)

i. Knowledge

R.W. Paul states that we must refute that knowledge can be given directly to students without their having to think it through for themselves." (R.W. Paul, 1992) A web-site that has the ability to research databases of issues from different perspectives, and has tools that allow students to think for themselves is the real tool needed to affect change. While knowledge is the common denominator for the poor it is economic improvement that is the result of the knowledge.

ii. Time

Time is the real economic commodity that is common to all people. For the poor people of the world time spent that produces results that benefit economically is the best use of this resource. The time resource will be spent better, if an investment is made in critical thinking skills. Knowledge and economics are linked together in this model.

iii. Grassroots

With a grassroots component to the project, there will be in place an important component that will help to create the advocacy and strong support for future policy making. The Internet allows for "adapting content to meet individual needs. (Hativa & Becker: 1994; Park: 1996; Reinking & Bridwell-Bowles: 1996; Shirk: 1991) The web site can allow for a multi faceted approach to obtaining resources, solutions and calls to action.

iv. Literacy

Literacy and practical knowledge are the action tools needed to break the cycle of neglect of education for our girl children. The education of today’s girl children in the developing world will additionally benefit the nation. A new political, social and educational framework in the Third World can translate into better effective national legislation for children’s rights in the developing countries and ratification in the United States for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This will allow all children to obtain and use their political voice as articulated in Freire’s theory of social change.

v. Web-based learning

One can find from the research that technology has an important role to play in education. It cannot solve all educational problems of learning but what is relevant to the thesis of this paper is that technology is vital and can accomplish the following four things: 1) Make learning more interactive and thus allowing for action steps to take place. 2) Individualize the learning to match the learners’ developmental needs as well as their personal needs. 3) Capture and store data for decision-making opportunities. And finally 4) Enhance the avenues for collaboration among students, teachers and to the community at large. (Computer-Based Technology and Learning: 1999, 26-27)

vi. Conclusion

The conclusion of the paper comes full cycle back to the theory that the Cycle of Poverty can be broken by the empowerment of children in the developed world through web-based education, that is compatible with the specific needs and social constraints of girls in the developing world. The multiple studies, literature, conferences, scholars and researchers from the Development, Education and Feminist literature all conclude that education equals development. Given the basic education of girls in the developing world, the benefits include: 1) Better health for the girls. 2) Lower infant mortality rates. 3) Girls have longer lives. 4) Maternal mortality rates drop. 5) Economic improvement in real or in agricultural development 6) Increase chances for girl offspring to attend school and 7) More productive societies with measurable differences as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI). (Symposium, 2000)

The paper has argued that the literature to promote and create sustainable development starting with the provision of basic education for girls’ is undeniable in its findings and arguments. Furthermore there is a strong international framework of legal documents that supports the narrowing and elimination of the gender-gap in education. This paper has also reported the facts to the existence of a world wide problem of a lack of education that has been well documented by UNICEF, IMF, World Bank, Grameen Bank, Symposium on Girls’ Education 2000, along with countless reputable non-governmental organizations, researchers and scholars.

An education web-site can link resources, showcase solutions, provide critical thinking tools, publish ideas and new information, build a grassroots organization, promote problem solving skills to help children to gain knowledge that can be part of innovative solutions. It has been documented the price of failure of denying to address nations’ moral and legal obligations to realize the rights of children. The negative effects of not educating children in the developed world about the plight of the girl children in the developing world perpetuate a lack of international understanding of global politics. (State of the World’s Children, 2000)

With cultural and traditional practices limiting the freedom of girls’ access to a basic education and an equal place in society there needs to be an enforcement mechanism to provide putting principles into practice. Having an education web-site where action can be implemented could have a real-world positive consequence. The education web-site can also help to promote and improve coordination between resources and organizations, so that most importantly it will serve to make children more visible in the policy development process by giving children a voice. A non-traditional method for getting legislators and world leaders to listen, but this paper argues that with large numbers of educators this can be effective.

Educating teenagers as to the urgent need to educate girl children is a necessary component for change. They can then use their new and enormous economic clout to gain attention to the issue. Credit debit cards are now available to high school students as well as credit cards to first year college students as proof of this influence. A web-site can help to coordinate and to provide the resources and tools needed in order to create a higher level of cooperation with our teenagers.

The paper advocates a bottom up approach because community based organizations still play a pivotal role to giving support to the education of girl children. The role of community involvement needs to increase while central educational authority needs to continue to play a lesser role. It is evident that capital is needed for a community-based organization to be empowered in order to build human capital that is gender neutral. A section in the web-site will be devoted to community and political leaders to make them aware of the need and provide them with the research in order to enact change at the legislative level.

It appears that quality education for girl children as an equal resource of a society will help foster sustainable development. The opposite is also true that by denying the girl child the right to a basic and quality education then poverty will remain. Deepa Narayan states "literacy is universally valued as a means to survive, avoid exploitation and travel." (Narayan: 2000, 218) "I am illiterate, I am like a blind person," said a poor mother in Pakistan 1994. (Narayan: 2000, 218) Poverty and lack of development are two powerful forces to not educating the girl child.

It is also the "institutional practices to gender norms" that makes it difficult for women and girls to gain access to education. Men’s identity and roles are seen to be the breadwinner and women’s are equated with care giving is clearly demonstrated by the lack of access for girls to education. (Narayan: 2000, 221)

It has proven difficult to overcome the practice of state biases and the denial of resources. These resources are usually used instead for the benefit of; the elite, the military and macro economic oriented projects. Community based organizations have sprung up as a solution to be able to make local educational decisions that affect their own communities. While there is progress most "poor people’s networks in many parts of the world do not transcend community boundaries and rarely enter the political domain." (Narayan: 2000, 221) The voice of the poor not heard by the elite is the bane of international political economy.

One should look at the education of the girl child taken in complete context of the total poverty of the community, lack of security for the girl child, limited or no sanitation, health services, or clean water. "Poor people give high priority to literacy and skills acquisition and the value of education but are interested in ‘education’ only when the immediate survival needs have been met." (Narayan: 2000, 224)

It is equally vital to take into account the poor peoples’ perspective of their needs and concerns before imposing solutions no matter how beneficial toward the education of the girl child. As the infant mortality chart in Appendix I clearly shows it is a moot point to send the girl child to school if children die before reaching the age of five of mostly preventable causes.

The complexity of the issues surrounding the education of the girl child make it necessary to have not only understanding of the issues but the tools and resources that can start addressing those issues. A web site on the Internet by raising awareness, pooling resources and allowing for the teachers and students of the developed world to get involved is a step in solving these issues. This work cannot be accomplished in isolation. The pooling of resources and working together on projects is the only opportunity to overcome the enormity of the problem.

All advocates for children no matter the level of their involvement or the organization they work for must in the final analysis put aside personal agendas and pool expertise, and resources in working on similar concerns and problems. The technology can bring together those tools and resources and create the dialogue outside the conferences to successfully implement solutions.

Teachers have real political clout as a voting block in America with the American Federation of Teachers and with their students can create a strong political voice to affect policy change at the national level with legislation for the benefit of all girl children in the developing world. The United States should take on an international leadership role by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This would make an enormous difference to the girl child. "Allies are needed to initiate change in social norms both from within the system and outside it. Development entrepreneurs are needed to initiate change in behavior and norms." (Narayan: 2000, 229) A constituency of educators networking through a common web-site can create the means to help ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and help to create resources for education around the world.

The assumption stated that if millions of school children and thousands of teachers in the developed world recognize, support, take action and challenge the prevailing norms of lack of education for girls this will create lasting new institutional change for the education of girl children in the developing world. The good news is that there is a renewed interest that was recently reported by the high attendance at the preparatory meeting for the United Nations Special Session on Children to convene September 2001. Nearly 1,000 participants from governments, and civil society groups gathered at the United Nations for the first major meeting held May 30 to June 2n 2000. A web-site can facilitate dialogue and use this event as a teachable moment in the coming new school year.

There have been promises made to children that are still not kept such as: to "lessen the impact of deepening poverty, growing discrimination, the spread of HIV/AIDS and the proliferation of armed conflicts." (UNICEF, 2001) But there is a renewed energy focusing on the human rights of children that is embodied in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and a web-site can build on this synergy by promoting deeper and broader learning opportunities.

The report of the World Summit for Children argues that "major progress in human development is possible within a single generation. If the global community will commit to three key areas: the best possible start for children in their early years; a good quality basic education for every child; and an enabling environment for adolescents as they develop their capacities."

Philosophically there is no one opposed to education. Nor is there any one opposed to sustainable development and the benefits it brings. Traditional roles, customs and biases all impose limitations on the girl child in assuming her equal place in education and development. The religion faith that raised me and where my values are born comes from a long history that dates itself over 3,500 years. It was once the norm of this religion for sacrificing animals at the altar in front of the Temple as a means of Atonement. Prayer and fasting has replaced that pagan tradition as new ways of thinking replaced old ways. It was and still is as a practice forbidden for ultra orthodox girls and women to pray or even dance with men. A more Conservative and Reform movement emerged with a much more tolerant and different understanding of the meaning of the old tradition that now allows for equal gender relationships.

Not all people will change age-old customs. But the relevancy to the thesis is that there can be made room for new ways of inclusion, overcoming customs that has been rooted deep in thousands of years of tradition. Not by replacing the old values but allowing the freedom of choice to embrace new ideas, customs and traditions. A community should be able to accept new values if offered to them with free choice. The community should work to enrich and enhance girl children’s right to choose among this wonderful multi-cultural world with all its colorful customs and traditions. When the community customs, traditions and values block her human rights as defined and accepted by all the nations of the world then she needs to have her right to her freedom of choice.

The paper and companion education web-site does not advocate changing customs and traditions that have been in place for centuries. In the teaching of her traditional customs girl children should feel loved, supported in their individuality and accepted as equals. The paper and web-site is an attempt to understand the issues for development Vis’ a Vis’ education for girls. If customs and biases prevent the education of girl children it will have a direct and negative effect on the economic development of that society.

The paper stated that it is essential for the web-site to have as its framework international legal documents that frame the right of any human being to belong and practice a faith and tradition or to choose to interpret it with modern eyes. However, the paper believes that eyes alone can not see the entirety of any issue, "it must be felt with the heart." (Helen Keller) The heart can see the need also for the right for all children to equally share in learning and potential for personal economic development. By confronting this issue the world will be able to take a quantum leap in the direction of educating and thus achieve sustained economic development and empowerment for all girls.