Goree Island boarding school empowers Senegal's girls

An elite boarding school on Goree Island, Senegal, is working to empower the nation's brightest girls by challenging traditional patriarchal norms. While Senegal has achieved high primary school enrollment rates for girls, significant challenges remain regarding secondary education completion. Less than 20% of girls finish high school, resulting in a literacy gap where only 84 girls can read and write for every 100 boys.

Experts, including Maissa Abdellaoui from UNICEF, note that the primary hurdle is no longer access to primary school, but rather the transition to the job market and completing secondary education. Factors contributing to high dropout rates include economic prioritization of boys, menstruation-related school absence, and early marriage or pregnancy.

Despite these obstacles, progressive legislation in Senegal aims to support women by requiring political parties to include women in half of their candidate lists and guaranteeing legal access to land ownership.