Some issues of access and equity in the education of African females

This paper examines the status of female participation in formal education in Africa at the close of the International Decade for Women. In-school dimensions of the equity issue are also outlined as a conceptual framework for future studies. Trends of the past two decades indicate that increased numbers of African girls have gained access to a primary level of education to acquire those basic skills and attitudes considered necessary to support general development goals. The combination of low enrollment growth projections and generally unfavorable economic forecasts for the foreseeable future suggest, however, that as countries differ along the dimension of economic development, these past efforts are now entering phases of stabilization, stagnation, or regression.