Emerging Issues in East Africa for Girls’ Education in East Africa

Despite progress on girls’ education in the past 25 years, many girls in East Africa are still facing profound education challenges. When combined with gender norms, poverty, location, and disability, girls are likely to struggle with accessing and remaining in education. External pressures such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-related disasters, and conflict all exacerbate existing inequalities This report draws together evidence on the current status of girls’ education in Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan, based on 15 days of desk-based research and key informant interviews. Using a combination of education systems thinking and the socio-ecological model, it examines and emphasises the importance of feedback loops, relationships between different actors in the education system and social norms and power which influence education systems and girls’ educational outcomes. The countries covered in this study are at different stages of education system evolution. Further detailed research is needed to find specific entry points for girls’ education support by country. Entry points for potential support have emerged as common themes across the four FCDO priority countries. These are System strengthening, creating Enabling Environments, and Investment in Girls Agency.