Latin America & the Caribbean

While girls continue to face severe disadvantages and inequalities in education, the report shows that boys in many countries are at greater risk than girls of repeating grades, failing to complete different education levels and having poorer learning outcomes in school. No less than 132 million boys of primary and secondary school age are out of school. They urgently require support.

Recently, teachers have faced further unprecedented challenges as they seek to find ways of ensuring quality education for all their students within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst the nature of these challenges varies depending on the location, a common concern is with those students who are known to be vulnerable to marginalization or exclusion, such as those from the poorest households, refugees and those in conflict situations, ethnic and linguistic minorities and indigenous backgrounds, and children with disabilities.

This guidance note first outlines key principles for a gender-responsive approach to education programming and addresses some of the most common misconceptions and arguments against gender-responsive education. It then gives concrete strategies and actions for putting gender equality into practice in the major domains of education in emergencies, framed by the INEE Minimum Standards.