Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses are all very welcome. I will follow on the conversation. The witnesses spoke of the importance of encouraging girls into education. Considering the Irish experience, it is not too different. It is only two generations away when it was the boys in the family who went on to education and the girls who were kept at home. It is not a huge distance. I remember going to school and getting the milk and famous corned beef sandwich that was curled at the side or a bun or jam sandwich. They were the supports for families. When we came into this committee at 9.30 a.m. there were children getting breakfast in breakfast clubs, which we still have in Ireland. That is important. There is not huge distance between us in terms of supports for children who are living in poverty. Consider literacy in the Irish context and the importance of literacy in the home. A mother who does not read or a lone parent, for example, with no books in the home can be important factors that have an impact on the literacy of children in many of those households. We must ask if this is a big difficulty or a big gap between the parent and the child.

Many people from a nationalist background in the North who were discriminated against in terms of housing, jobs, etc., went on to further education, got involved in civil rights and so on and demanded change. Many things have happened around education. It was stated that educated girls are less likely to be child brides. I wish to develop that point. Poverty is a big issue for many families. I do not think any parent would give his or her child away to a rich man or similar unless there was a necessity to have one less child to feed. It is not just cultural norms; much of the problem is caused by poverty. I was going to ask about the privatisation of education but the witnesses have been clear on that matter. The figures are staggering: one in five children is out of school, including 131 million girls. I ask the witnesses to elaborate on the programmes in various countries. Are they bespoke programmes taking into account cultural norms and so on in particular countries or is there a best practice approach on the basis that what works in Malawi might work in Zambia or Afghanistan? Are there various local factors that cause difficulties in that regard? There was reference to the experience in Afghanistan and the lack of women teachers there. We know the impact caused by the Taliban in Afghanistan, as well as the impact of Boko Haram which targets boarding schools and the young women in them in Nigeria. The students are on the front line.

How important is period poverty? It is usually a woman or girl who is sent to get clean water. I ask the witnesses to address the importance of access to free water. It is important to have schools available in isolated areas such that people do not have to make dangerous long-distance journeys to school.

The transformative work being done by the witnesses is fantastic but it does not receive sufficient recognition. There are significant challenges. The more people who get educated, the more transformative it will be for society. I began my contribution by referring to the big changes. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked about children with special needs. Yesterday, I raised the issue of a child in my constituency who has been waiting on supports for 52 months or nearly four and a half years. If that is the Irish experience, what is the experience of children who are being left behind due to a club foot, polio or another disability in some of the countries where the witnesses work? The cultural norms are different and it may be suggested that the child is possessed. I ask the witnesses to comment on the importance of involving such children in the education system and the work being carried out.