Through the Vanuatu Education Support Program II (VESP), the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) developed this study to understand better how gender affects children’s primary school experience. This report, Primary school in Vanuatu: Gendered expectations, roles and results, is a part of Vanuatu’s commitment to providing access to quality primary education for all (EFA) children.
It recognizes that gender differences, norms and values significantly shape children’s participation, well-being and achievements in primary school and beyond. The study also sought to understand how disability affects girls’ and boys’ primary education. The study comes as recognition grows that gender inequality in schools has changed. In the past 20 years, girls’ primary school enrolment has nearly reached parity with boys in many countries (United Nations Children’s Fund – UNICEF, 2020), including Vanuatu. Still, there is more to do to ensure that more girls complete secondary school. In some countries, girls outperform boys in schools. Still, gender inequality persists, with girls remaining less confident and less likely to pursue careers than boys (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2015).
This report presents the perspectives and experiences of women, men, girls and boys in six school communities across Shefa and Tafea provinces, complemented by information from an analysis of the Ministry of Education’s key datasets to explore insights beyond the statistics. The analysis of MoET’s quantitative data through a gender lens was undertaken in 2020. The research for the qualitative study was undertaken in March and April 2021. It included interviews and focus group discussions with people working in primary education, community leaders and organisations, parents and carers, and girls and boys in primary school.
Read the full report here.