Asia | Japan | Culture

Women outperform men after Japan medical school stops rigging exam scores

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Women have outperformed their male counterparts in entrance examinations for a medical school in Japan that last year admitted rigging admission procedures to give men an unfair advantage. Juntendo University in Tokyo said that of the 1,679 women who took its medical school entrance exam earlier this year, 139, or 8.28%, had passed. The pass rate among 2,202 male candidates was 7.72%. It was the first time in seven years that the pass rate among women was higher than among men, the Asahi Shimbun reported. The university attributed the exam results to its decision to “abolish the u
Africa | Sierra Leone | Education

Sierra Leone girls forced into ‘degrading’ pregnancy tests

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Thousands of schoolgirls in Sierra Leone have been forced to undergo humiliating and degrading public pregnancy tests since the government banned pregnant girls from attending mainstream schools and taking exams, Amnesty International said on Friday. Girls have had their breasts and stomachs felt by teachers and nurses in front of their peers and been forced to take urine tests, which has discouraged many girls from going to school, whether they are pregnant or not, according to the rights group. A ban on pregnant girls attending school has informally existed for a decade, but it was dec
South Asia | India | Education

200 girls leave school due to lack of toilets

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More than 200 girls have discontinued their studies at a government-run residential school (boarding school) in the Indian state of Jharkhand, citing lack of toilets and harassment from local boys. The Kasturba Gandhi Awasiya School was set up to promote education among girls in rural areas. The hostel of the school, where 220 girls were provided accommodation, had just five toilets. The girls say that they often had to heed nature’s call in the open as there weren’t enough facilities for them to use.
South Asia | Bangladesh | Education

40% of girls miss school due to lack of appropriate restrooms

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As much as 40 percent of girls choose not to go to school for an average of three days each month when they have their period because there are no appropriate restroom facilities, according to a study by the International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B). The National Hygiene Baseline Survey says that menstrual hygiene is a serious challenge for girls in Bangladesh due to a lack of understanding and general education about it.
Africa | Ghana | Culture

GHANA: 7,256 Girls Drop Out of School in Region

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Information reaching The Chronicle the indicates that 7,256 girls, representing 33.69 percent from six districts in the Eastern Region, dropped out of basic school between the 2010 and 2012 academic years. The districts are Ayensuano, Upper Manya, Birim North, Upper West Akim, and Kwahu Afram Plains North and South. According to statistics available, of the 21,537 girls who enrolled in Junior High School 1 (JHS) in 2010, only 14,281 sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 2012, with the 7,256 becoming dropouts in the six districts. Though the Regional Coordinator
International | Culture

UN report shows countries where it is hardest to be a woman

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The United Nations organisation dedicated to gender equality, UN Women, has released a damning report on the progress of women worldwide. The UN has looked at the poorest 20 per cent of households and, within those, the level of education women have attained. (This doesn't involve statistics on developed countries such as Australia, New Zealand or the United States.) The report notes that women with little or no education are forced to accept whatever low-paid, low-skilled work is available. Yemen and Pakistan are standout non-performers, with 93 per cent of women in their poorest