Make Every Woman Count
Policy reforms: Many countries incorporate science, technology and innovation in their national development agendas, as well as in their education sector plans.2134 Several countries (Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zimbabwe) have adopted national policies in this regard. The National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013–2022 of Gambia aims specifically to foster entrepreneurship among youth and women to enhance their employability.2135 Under the 2013 ICT Policy for Malawi, the government shall mobilise financial resources for the implementation of ICT programmes for women and youth in coordination with NGOs and development partners (Policy Statement 5.)2136 Institutional reforms: Some countries have undertaken institutional reforms. Eswatini established the Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation within the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology in 2014.2137 Burundi, DR Congo, Gabon and Rwanda have introduced ministries devoted to scientific research within their respective governments.
8.3. Challenges and Gaps Throughout the Decade, across Africa, governments adopted policy and legal reforms that address the goals of the AWD on education, science and technology. Several countries have adopted education sector plans, policies, laws and strategies aimed at promoting and ensuring equity and equality at the secondary and tertiary levels. Other countries have made constitutional provisions on providing free education at all levels, or up to the secondary level. Several countries have introduced free secondary education; others have partially removed educational fees. In 2017, Ghana introduced free secondary education and removed fees for admissions, libraries, science centres and computer laboratories, and the country will provide free textbooks, boarding and free meals.2138 Malawi and South Sudan have introduced scholarships, loans and/or bursaries for girls at the secondary level.2139 In Somalia, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education introduced Tertiary Scholarships for Young Women Students to improve access and retention at this level.2140 In Gambia, there are plans to provide scholarships to women and girls enrolled in mathematics and science at higher and tertiary education institutions.2141 Others countries have addressed concerns associated with transportation and safe and affordable housing. The 2018 Eswatini National Education and Training Sector Policy notably aims to ensure students have a secondary school within 7 km of their home,2142 and the Chad Intermediary Education Sector Plan 2018–2020 includes transport subsidies.2143 Many countries address the stigma and discrimination girls face in accessing education at secondary and tertiary levels through policy, legal and institutional mechanisms. The education sector plans of Niger and Somalia include awarenessraising campaigns sensitising government, community, religious and traditional leaders on the importance of girls’ education. Other countries have taken steps, though legislation or policy initiatives, to ensure pregnant girls cannot be suspended from or forced to leave school, and to facilitate their re-entry. In 2013, the Constitutional Court of South Africa found that a school’s policies violated learners’ human rights and stigmatised the learners.2144 In 2019, the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice declared that the ban in Sierra Leone, preventing pregnant girls from attending school and sitting for exams, violated girls’ right to education and was discriminatory.2145 ECOWAS also found the Sierra Leonean government in breach of local and international laws, particularly the African Charter.2146 After the Court’s ruling, the government of Sierra Leone announced that it would introduce two new policies, focusing on Radical Inclusion and Comprehensive Safety. In 2020, the government of São Tomé and Príncipe overturned a Disciplinary Act that had prohibited pregnant girls in the third month of pregnancy from attending classes or school activities and mandated them to attend night school until the end of their pregnancy.2147 The removal of the Act is seen as an essential step in gender equality and in investing in girls. To encourage girls and young women to take more interest in science, information, communication and technology, Malawi, Rwanda and Senegal have launched national Miss Math, Miss Science and Miss Geek competitions.2148 Other
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