Gender Analysis (HSME1213) Group Assignment

Read the case study below and answer the questions that follow.
SOUTH SUDAN AND ACCESS TO EDUCATION

The cumulative effects of the past five years of violent conflict and multiple inter-related crises (hyper-
inflation, food insecurity, population displacements) have continued to intensify in South Sudan, severely
affecting the more than seven million people who are in need of humanitarian assistance and increasing the
number of people who have fled to other countries to two million. In this protracted crisis, the education
system has deteriorated further, with 48 % of schools currently not functioning. UNICEF estimates that up
to 2.4 million children in South Sudan are not receiving an education – the highest rate of out-of-school
children in the world. Approximately 75% of girls are not enrolled in primary school, and there are even
higher disparities in the participation of children with disabilities or those living in very rural and remote
areas.
There are issues in accessing education on both the supply side and the demand side. On the supply side,
schools are often far away from communities and are hard to access, with the destruction of schools and the
departure of teachers from many affected areas due to the crisis having further impacts on access to
education. Schools are staffed by a much larger proportion of male teachers than female teachers. In
addition, teachers lack qualifications, with only 47 % of teachers having received training and only 6 % of
trained teachers being female. As many as half of all schools in South Sudan are without permanent or
semi-permanent classrooms and such schools are also likely to have minimal or no water, sanitation and
hygiene (WASH) facilities, let alone adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management (MHM); this is
a factor that further discourages girls from attending. Travelling to and from school places girls at
considerable risk of sexual violence and abuse and this deters them and their families. This can be seen in
the country’s dire education statistics: only 16% of females over the age of 15 are able to read and write,
and the most recent nationwide statistics (the most recent being from 2023) show that just
730 girls were enrolled in the final year of high school, from a total population of 12 million.
On the demand side, the lack of resources means that impoverished families prioritize boys’ education; this
is exacerbated by widespread perceptions that educating girls is of less importance. Cultural beliefs and
practices, and strictly delineated gender roles, also mean that families tend to rely on girls to do household
chores, with many reports confirming that girls have a heavy burden of domestic duties. A particular barrier
to girls taking up or continuing schooling is child and early marriage, with various studies identifying this
as the main reason for girls not going to school. The legal age for marriage in South Sudan is 18 but it is
estimated that 9% of girls are married by the age of 15 and 52% by 18, on account of a weak legal system
and communities’ adherence to customary laws. With just 6% of 13-year-old girls on average completing
primary school, and statistics confirming that a young girl in South Sudan is three times more likely to die
in pregnancy or childbirth than to reach Grade 8 in school, education and in particular education
for girls should be a top priority.
These supply-and-demand-side barriers are heightened for boys and girls with disabilities, who face further
challenges in accessing education, with a lack of schools for children with special needs and a lack of
teachers trained in special educational needs.
A gender analysis is to be conducted with funding from the Danish International Development Agency
(Danida) provided specifically to prepare for the launch of Oxfam education projects in Pibor and Juba.
However, its findings will also be useful to the wider NGO community working in South Sudan, and the
recommendations it offers will be relevant to all.
1. Identify at least four (4) key objectives that may be used to guide the focus of the gender analysis [5
marks]
2. Identify the main domains or key areas of inquiry that the gender analysis may focus on and explain why
each of these would be relevant [10 marks]
3. Identify a gender analysis framework that you would adopt for this evaluation, explaining it's key tenets
and why you believe it would be best suited for this specific gender analysis [20 marks]
4. Outline how the findings from the gender analysis be utilized in the project design, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation process. Provide practical recommendations that are informed or in line with the
gender analysis objectives and domains or key areas of inquiry articulated in questions 1 and 2. [15
marks]
Due date: 3 May 2024

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Read the case study below and answer the questions that follow.

SOUTH SUDAN AND ACCESS TO EDUCATION

Due date: 3 May 2024

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