Centre for Public Policy to host seminar on ‘Investing in Girls' Education - Insights from Africa’ on 27th February
Quentin Wodon, Director of the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, UNESCO, to deliver the talk
24 February, 2025, Bengaluru: The Centre for Public Policy (CPP) will host a seminar on, ‘Investing in Girls' Education - Insights from Africa’, at 4.00 pm on 27th February 2025, at P-11. The talk will be led by Quentin Wodon, Director of the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, UNESCO.
Abstract of talk: In Sub-Saharan Africa, just over two-thirds of girls complete their primary education and four in ten complete lower secondary education. More needs to be done to improve educational opportunities for girls, which would help end child marriage and boost countries’ economic development. The first part of the study updates and expands for a much larger number of countries a previous investment case on the benefits of educating girls and ending child marriage. The second part looks at the role of teachers and school leaders in improving learning outcomes and educational attainment for girls.
While the literature emphasizes economic incentives for adolescent girls to remain in school, it is also important to note that: (1) Lack of learning is a key factor leading to drop-out in primary and lower-secondary school (2) Teachers and school leaders are key to improving learning, but new approaches are needed for pedagogy in the classroom and for training teachers and school leaders (3) Nationally, professional standards and competencies for teachers and school leaders are also required. These three simple facts call for investing in teachers and school leaders, especially women, to improve education for girls and end child marriage.
About the speaker: Quentin Wodon is Director of the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, a Category 1 UNESCO Institute on teachers and education policy. Previously, he worked at the World Bank, including as Lead Economist, Lead Poverty Specialist, and manager of the unit on values and development. Before that, he taught with tenure at the University of Namur. He has also taught at Addis Ababa University, American University and Georgetown University. A business engineering graduate, after an assignment in Asia as Laureate of a Prize, he worked in brand management for Procter & Gamble. He then shifted focus to join a nonprofit, working with the extreme poor. This led him to pursue a career in international development. Quentin holds four PhDs, has over 700 publications and has worked on policy across sectors in over 60 countries. As part of his volunteer work, he has held multiple leadership positions with nonprofits. His research has been covered by leading news media globally.
Centre for Public Policy to host seminar on ‘Investing in Girls' Education - Insights from Africa’ on 27th February
Quentin Wodon, Director of the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, UNESCO, to deliver the talk
24 February, 2025, Bengaluru: The Centre for Public Policy (CPP) will host a seminar on, ‘Investing in Girls' Education - Insights from Africa’, at 4.00 pm on 27th February 2025, at P-11. The talk will be led by Quentin Wodon, Director of the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, UNESCO.
Abstract of talk: In Sub-Saharan Africa, just over two-thirds of girls complete their primary education and four in ten complete lower secondary education. More needs to be done to improve educational opportunities for girls, which would help end child marriage and boost countries’ economic development. The first part of the study updates and expands for a much larger number of countries a previous investment case on the benefits of educating girls and ending child marriage. The second part looks at the role of teachers and school leaders in improving learning outcomes and educational attainment for girls.
While the literature emphasizes economic incentives for adolescent girls to remain in school, it is also important to note that: (1) Lack of learning is a key factor leading to drop-out in primary and lower-secondary school (2) Teachers and school leaders are key to improving learning, but new approaches are needed for pedagogy in the classroom and for training teachers and school leaders (3) Nationally, professional standards and competencies for teachers and school leaders are also required. These three simple facts call for investing in teachers and school leaders, especially women, to improve education for girls and end child marriage.
About the speaker: Quentin Wodon is Director of the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, a Category 1 UNESCO Institute on teachers and education policy. Previously, he worked at the World Bank, including as Lead Economist, Lead Poverty Specialist, and manager of the unit on values and development. Before that, he taught with tenure at the University of Namur. He has also taught at Addis Ababa University, American University and Georgetown University. A business engineering graduate, after an assignment in Asia as Laureate of a Prize, he worked in brand management for Procter & Gamble. He then shifted focus to join a nonprofit, working with the extreme poor. This led him to pursue a career in international development. Quentin holds four PhDs, has over 700 publications and has worked on policy across sectors in over 60 countries. As part of his volunteer work, he has held multiple leadership positions with nonprofits. His research has been covered by leading news media globally.