Education is one of the most powerful means to achieve gender equality. As Burnice said, by empowering young people with education, they can make informed choices about their lives. Through inclusive education, they can eliminate challenges and they can empower themselves. When we make education accessible to all, there will be empowerment and development that will make young people able to support themselves. However, today, too many children are excluded from access to quality education because of social, economic, and cultural stigma and discrimination. This not only constitutes a huge personal loss for children, but also limits their potential contribution to society and country. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the situation. It’s estimated that 11 million girls might not return to school this year due to the unprecedented education disruption of COVID-19. This not only threatens decades of progress made towards gender equality, but also puts girls around the world at risk of adolescent pregnancy, early and forced marriage, and violence. During conflicts and crises, girls’ right to education is also severely affected: they are almost 2.5 times more likely to be out of primary school, and nearly 90% more likely to be out of secondary school than their counterparts in countries not affected by conflict. These challenges are heightened for girls with disabilities, who are often considered non-productive members of society. For Hajar, accessibility is the key, and it is the biggest problem: education should be accessible and free for everyone. The opportunities each child has are different, but all children should be put to the same level and all barriers of any kind should be eliminated.
