There are numerous and connected causes for this. When food is scarce, girls frequently bear the burden of making long journeys in search of food or taking care of siblings while their parents do so, leaving little time for their studies. Girls frequently eat last and least when modest amounts of food are split among a family, which makes it harder for them to concentrate and fully profit from their time in school.

Conflict prevents girls from attending school in other places, including South Sudan and Ukraine, as families are compelled to flee for their safety. Half of all refugee children are not in school.

Whatever the cause, when girls are forced to leave school, more than just their education and prospects are affected. Adolescent girls, in particular, are consequently made even more susceptible to harmful practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage, as well as to violence, exploitation, and early pregnancies. Every year a girl stays in secondary school, her chances of getting married as a kid drop by 6%.

A lifeline, inclusive, high-quality education significantly impacts girls’ rights. To make this a reality, however, additional work must be done.

The likelihood of girls dropping out of school is roughly 2.5 times higher in crisis-affected countries than in non-crisis-affected nations. The fact that education interventions are grossly underfunded during emergencies and protracted crises are one explanation for this. In 2021, only 2.9% of all humanitarian funding allocated globally to specific sectors went toward emergency education.

This percentage should be increased to at least 10% of humanitarian funding, according to Plan International and Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN’s worldwide fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. Increased multi-year investments in the institutional capabilities of local and national actors must be part of this.

Education cannot wait, we say in unison with Afghan girls and those in all other nations experiencing crises on this International Day of Education. In addition to being a fundamental human right, investing in education can save and preserve the lives of girls experiencing hardship. We must support females in defending this right.

We call on the donor governments to significantly expand humanitarian funding to education as soon as possible. World leaders will convene in Geneva next month for the Education Cannot Wait for High-Level Financing Conference. We must use bold, brave, and significant financing to accomplish our commitments.

In the most climate-exposed countries, where the effects of extreme weather will almost likely pose a danger to girls’ education in the future, this investment is crucial if we are to create resilience. Budgets for teaching need to be expanded and safeguarded, especially in crisis-affected nations, where they fell by two-thirds following the start of COVID-19.

Girls’ needs should be considered at all stages of programming to strengthen education systems and combat gender inequity and exclusion. At the Global Refugee Forum in December this year, governments should commit to providing inclusive, high-quality education for internally and externally displaced children and youth.

More than half of the 222 million children and adolescents affected by the crisis require immediate support for their education. For partners like Plan International and others to be able to implement the crucial programmes required, Education Cannot Wait must be fully funded with a minimum of US$1.5 billion in additional resources over the next four years.

Girls’ voices are too frequently hushed in times of need, making their experiences unseen and unmet. It is up to us to change this to create a more just, equal, and peaceful world.