{"id":321801,"date":"2024-05-20T21:33:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T21:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gbcghanaonline.com\/?p=321801"},"modified":"2024-05-21T10:49:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T10:49:51","slug":"africa-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gbcghanaonline.com\/africa\/africa-uk\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Women and girls across Africa, Asia and Middle East to benefit from new UK higher education programme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Hannah Dadzie <\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK Deputy Foreign Secretary, Andrew Mitchell<\/a>, has announced an ambitious \u00a345 million higher education programme at the Education World Forum to deliver a better future for young people, particularly women and girls.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new \u00a345 million programme will create safer and more accessible learning environments for women and girls to remove barriers preventing the next generation of leaders from enrolling in higher education. The Higher Education programme aims to benefit 1 million young people, improving their opportunities and employability. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strengthening Higher Education for Female Empowerment (SHEFE), will bring together businesses, universities and governments to form 12 partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Deputy Foreign Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, will announce the UK investment in his keynote speech to over 100 education Ministers from around the world at the Education World Forum on Monday, May 20. The new UK programme aims to increase access to higher education for 1 million students worldwide, supporting women and girls to transform their lives and unlock their potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deputy Foreign Secretary and Minister for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, said greater gender equality brings freedom, boosts prosperity, and strengthens global security. He said countries cannot develop if half the population is held back from fulfilling their full potential.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe UK is ensuring that the next generation of female teachers, doctors, inventors and leaders can unlock their potential without being held back by gender bias and discrimination,” Mr Mitchell indicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Deputy Foreign Secretary said Education is the foundation for empowerment and it equips women and girls with the knowledge to challenge harmful norms and make informed decisions, including about their health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Strengthening Higher Education for Female Empowerment (SHEFE) programme will bring together businesses, universities, and governments to create 12 partnerships, which will tackle the obstacles that stand in the way of women and girls seeking further education, including creating safer learning environments and improving the quality of higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Girls who benefit from higher education are up to six times less likely to marry as children and are less likely to experience violence from a partner. Women who have advanced levels of learning also increase their earnings. However, for many women who want to attend university, widespread sexual harassment and violence are barriers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme will support women and girls by: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n