Improving the place of the Education In Niger, in 2020-2021, the issue of inequality is one of the main concerns of the population in terms of context. During this period marked by general elections, Oxfam in Niger has developed a new reading of the context, seeking to change from a narrative based on security to one based on inequality as a determining factor in breaking the vicious circle of poverty and related crises that characterizes the current situation in Niger and the Sahelian region. This reading of the context served as a basis for the developmentof a strategy and action plan that we want to be participatory and inclusive, especially one that is developed with a plurality of civil society actors, particularly the youth and women's movements.
In most poor countries, education in general and primary education in particular is not a given. This is the case in Niger, which has one of the worst performances, yet the gross intake rate has risen from 90% in 2009 to 98% in 2017.  The increase in this rate conceals real disparities both geographically and in terms of gender. It is 117.7% in urban areas against 71.7% in rural areas and 94.7% for boys against 82.7% for girls. In fact, in Niger, access toeducation is one of the sectors in which inequalities are most prevalent; educational opportunities for girls in rural areas, especially for the poorest, are very low, for example, between the ages of 6 and 9, 7 out of 10 girls do not attend elementary school andmore than 40% of those who do attend are forced to drop out before the end of the cycle due to poor performance or early marriage.If they do attend, they are six times more likely to drop out before the end of the cycle in rural areas than in urban areas. If, in addition, they are among the poorest, they will have even fewer opportunities: only 6% of the poorest girls living in rural areas finish elementary school. Through the Campaign Against Inequalities, the members of the alliance want to bring the candidates, once elected, to guarantee Nigeriens, especially women, girls and children, equitable and free access to education while ensuring strict application of the law on the protection of girls in school and the adoption of an official measure against child marriage as well as measures to control the excessive privatization of its basic social services.
In Niger, young girls between the ages of 10 and 14 in the country encounter difficulties in managing their menstrual periods and women do not have access to adequate infrastructure tochange their sanitary protection. At the school level, there are considerable difficulties and disparities between girls and boys. Many schools (84% of schools) do not have enough latrines, where they exist, they do not take into account the needs of different groups. Sanitation services and access to water are either limited or non-existent.  As a result, young girls in school have difficulty managing their menstruation at school. Access to means such as the dignity kit is not easy in a context where the poverty of families and households is extreme. Girls enrolled in primary/secondary education are between 73 and 87 per 100 boys enrolled (Source: Development Impact Contract on Menstrual Hygiene Management in Niger and Ethiopia, March 2020), which shows that in addition to their high numbers compared to boys in the communities, many girls are less likely to have knowledge about the responsible management of their sexuality. Socio-cultural burdens also constitute obstacles to the economic development of girls and women, which poses a problem for their empowerment as they do not have the means to access GHM. These gender inequalities between girls and boys concern both urban and rural areas.
In addition, girls are more exposed to violence in schools than boys. Indeed, because of their status, they are often the target of their influential peers, but also of their teachers who are supposed to supervise them, as evidenced by what is commonly known in Niger as the sexually transmitted note (NST), where girls are sexually exploited to benefit from the favors of their teachers.
To reduce certain inequalities in this area, Oxfam in Niger proposes to implement this initiative which aims to :
- Ensure that inequalities in the field of education are corrected through the application of the laws in force in Niger, such as the decree on keeping girls in school;
- Engage in sensitization campaigns in schools in Maradi and Tahoua so that young schoolchildren can talk to decision-makers in the form of advocacy;
- Organize exchange sessions with schoolchildren and the population at the grassroots level, with particular attention paid to the problems experienced by young girls in their environment, particularly exposure to forced or early marriages and pregnancies with multiple consequences on their health and future. Priority will be given to girls in the allocation of scholarships. Similarly, a fight against abuse and violence against children in general and the girl child in particular will be undertaken.
- Organize talks and debates between boys and girls to discuss issues of violence in the school environment.
- providing girls' showers with sanitary towel kits;
- Organization of a national (all the region) caravan to fight against inequalities in education :
The caravan will be managed by the Alliance structures with the solicitation of human resources availablein the regions. Three axes will be constituted with 4 members each.
It is structured by axis and around the following activities ineach region:
1. 1. Exchange with regional education organizations (Unions, SMCs, student structures, etc.). 2;
2. Radio broadcasts
3. 3. The secondary school management per region will be asked to prepare the arrival of the caravan in advance with the confirmation of the appointments and places of activities.