Gender implications of development agency policies on education and training

In this paper, it is suggested that the macro-policies which the donor agencies and the development banks are currently marketing in the field of education and training would appear to contradict their stated goal of reducing gender disparities in society, including those that prevail in education. Decentralisation of educational financing and control, the introduction of cost-sharing mechanisms and community involvement in the running of schools, the privatisation and deregulation of training, are all likely to undermine the most urgent task of increasing girls' participation in education. It is also argued that education programmes specifically designed to address gender inequities have adopted a narrow and simplistic approach which has proved ineffective to date, largely because it has not been embedded in any clear understanding of the gendered nature of society and the role that schooling plays in perpetuating unequal gender relations. It is concluded that development agencies are unlikely to adopt the radical stance required to bring about the wide-reaching social and educational change.