New pathways to support the most marginalised, especially adolescent girls, to complete secondary (or equivalent) education and improve their lives and the lives of others

March, 2022

There are nearly 200 million lower and upper secondary age adolescent children out of school, and it is expected that this number will have increased after Covid-19 school closures. In many low-income countries adolescent girls are particularly disadvantaged, with gender roles driving lower participation rates for girls at later levels of education. Even where girls progress to secondary, traditional household gender expectations can mean lower entry rates into university and/or the labor force inhibiting their potential. Investing in ensuring girls access secondary education has huge positive externalities.

Household data shows that only about half of adolescents aged 15-17 (53%) made it to upper secondary. The rest have been held back or dropped out. Adolescent girls in particular suffer and by the age of 20-24, girls are more likely to be out of employment or education than boys in all countries where data are available. Each country is unique – the data can be explored more below.