JRS regional offices in eastern and west Africa participated in the first Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education, held from 2 to 5 July in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Organised by the African Union International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa (AU/CIEFFA), the three-day event gathered key actors working in the education sector to discuss how to ensure equitable access to quality education for girls and women, particularly in humanitarian settings.

As part of the conference, JRS Eastern and West Africa, in collaboration with Plan International, Secondary Education Working Group (SEWG), and Bakita Partnership for Education co-organised a side-event titled “Resilience and Learning: Addressing the Educational Needs of Refugee Girls in Emergency Settings and Climate Change.”

The event devoted much space to the issue of climate change and its impact on education. Extreme weather events and environmental conditions can result in disruptions to the education system, exacerbating existing inequalities for teachers and students, especially girls, who are exposed to many risks when schools are closed, such as early marriage, and abuse. Parfait Fouda, JRS Regional Education Coordinator for West Africa and the Great Lakes, commented that “construction projects must not only expand learning spaces but also equip schools to withstand increasingly severe and unpredictable weather conditions.” He also stressed the critical need for governments and partners to allocate adequate resources to improve the resilience of the education system to climate-related crises and the importance of including climate change in the curriculum.

Among other discussed topics, the event explored the integration of displaced teachers in host community schools. “The employment of displaced teachers in schools has been shown to have a positive effect on the access, retention, learning, and wellbeing of refugee children,” Parfait commented, adding that this evidence is particularly significant for female teachers, who are known for their crucial role in bringing unschooled girls into classrooms, retaining them and improving their learning outcomes over time. There is a clear need for governments and states to prioritise the integration of displaced teachers into host community schools and state budgets.

The conference provided a space for reflection and raised awareness of the existing challenges. By participating, JRS renewed its call for gender-responsive budgeting in education, for the recognition of barriers to girls’ access to education, and a robust investment in teacher development, particularly for those forcibly displaced. Together with governments and development partners, JRS is committed to creating inclusive and resilient learning environments that ensure every girl has access to quality education, paving the way for a brighter and more equitable future.