Focused conversation: Education Empowering Women

Education of girls and women can reduce their vulnerability and improve the quality of life for all citizens. Furthermore, research has proved that women’s capital formation at both the primary and secondary levels of education has an important positive effect and significant role in a country’s development.

Education is important for increasing women’s productivity and a lot of programs have focused on things like financial literacy, money management, job skills training and entrepreneurship education. While there are many different ways to teach these topics, programs must be cultural and contextually specific to be effective. Mentorship can also be helpful for moving women from education to real-world opportunities. By asking students and women about their futures and motivations, mentors can inspire women to dream big.

To achieve the full benefits of an education, students must have a sense of opportunity and that change is possible. In Guatemala, that was not the case. Therefore, the Ministry of Education initiated reforms to encourage teachers to adopt new productive strategies in the classroom. The Ministry also worked to change the institutions and culture surrounding education by adhering to principles of merit and transparency. The Ministry also designed a program in which students in their last year of high school would write up their dream for their future as well as that of their country and community. After doing so, groups of five students completed projects in their communities to help achieve that dream.

CIPE programs in education include Tashabos, a program to train high-school age students and teachers entrepreneurship skills; EmprendeAhora, a curriculum in Peru that teaches young people about leadership, business plans, market economics and democracy; and the online Development Institute, which features presentations and readings on democracy, market economies and other related topics.