The Need for Cultural Interventions to Improve Girls’ Education during COVID-19 and Beyond

Abstract

According to estimates, girls enrolment in schools has stagnated despite international pressure. In Pakistan, more than 10 million girls remained out-of-school be fore the pandemic, and this figure has risen since the pandemic to cross 22 million.This paper argues about the importance of the social construction of girls schooling for policy planning in regions that are dom inated by culture and traditions. Cultural assumptions influence the support and community commitment for educating girls.The focus of past interventions has been non-gender-specific and with the target to im prove enrolment through improving resources and in frastructure. What is critically needed however are region-specific and cultural interventions that can im prove girl’s enrolment, including areas related to (i) parental motivators, (ii) teacher motivators, (iii) re sources and service motivators, (iv) safety and security, (v) community motivators, (vi) curriculum reform, (vii) integrating women social workers, (viii) oppor tunities for distance learning, and (ix) financing op tions.