A new report reveals that extreme religious groups and political parties are orchestrating a global campaign against gender equality in education, with well-funded efforts targeting schools worldwide. The report, “Whose Hands on our Education” by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), highlights how these groups aim to restrict girls’ access to education, influence educational curricula, and shape laws and policies to reinforce patriarchal values.
The report details a range of tactics employed by these groups, including the removal of sex education from school curricula, the banning of girls from attending school, and the reinforcement of traditional gender roles in textbooks. Additionally, these groups are actively rejecting gender-inclusive language and promoting patriarchal norms within educational settings.
Ayesha Khan, a senior research fellow at the ODI and one of the report’s authors, emphasized the crucial role of education in advancing gender equality. “Education is a key enabler for gender equality and has the power to shape lives,” Khan stated. She warned that a small but well-financed group of anti-rights organizations, politicians, and militant groups are determined to undermine the transformative opportunities that education can provide.
The report estimates that between 2013 and 2017, at least $3.7 billion was funneled to organizations opposing gender equality worldwide. In Africa alone, more than $54 million was spent by US-based Christian groups from 2007 to 2020 to campaign against LGBTQ+ rights and sex education.
The influence of Islamist funding in the Muslim world is also significant, though harder to trace. For instance, Pakistan has received billions in Saudi loans and aid, as well as private funding from Gulf states, to promote Wahhabism, a fundamentalist movement within Sunni Islam. The report also documents efforts to block sex education in countries like South Africa, Brazil, and the Philippines.
Khan concluded, “We’re dealing with a global anti-rights movement and resurgence of patriarchal norms. The education sector has become a battleground for these severe contestations.”