Girls' Education: A Foundation for Development

Today in the Commonwealth an estimated 75 million children, the majority of whom are girls, are being denied their right to an education. Despite several Commonwealth countries making some headway with the enrollment and retention of girls in education, overall progress remains patchy and many countries will not meet the education Millennium Development Goal (MDG) by 2015 if trends continue. This report from the Commonwealth Foundation provides an overview of the work being carried out with respect to the MDG focusing on eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education at all levels by 2015. The report analyzes initiatives being taken on the ground by civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations in four Commonwealth countries that appear to be off-track from achieving the MDG target-India, Pakistan, Cameroon and Papua New Guinea-and offers recommendations for where governments and CSOs can go from here.