Girls' Education at Risk: The Impact of Cutting High School Short

There is a speculation that compulsory education in Turkey will decrease by one year in the high schools. This directly leads to that young girls will be confined to their house and will be alienated from their rights. 

A 2022 report by TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) revealed that one in five marriages in Turkey involves a girl under 18. That being said, if girls are deprived from education, the number of child marriage will increase more. The obligation to school is an advantage for girls who are forced to marry at a young age as they can want help from their teachers. Teachers who notice the situation will probably act contrary to child marriage which will fortunately benefit innocent girls. From a global context, according to UNICEF, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18 every year. In countries where girls receive at least 12 years of education, child marriage rates drop significantly.

The World Bank states that each additional year of schooling reduces the likelihood of gender-based violence by 7%. Therefore, the number of gender based violence and discrimination will increase due to girls’ lack of awareness about their rights. If girls are raised enough to know about their rights, they can fight against injustices and act contrary to what their families want. Additionally, according to the 2023 Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Services Report, 61% of women in Turkey experience domestic violence at some point in their lives. Women with secondary education or higher are far more likely to seek legal protection than those with only primary education.

Moreover, if girls are alienated from education, the number of health problems will rise. According to UNICEF, girls who take education tend to be more conscious about a healthier lifestyle. Both child mortality and maternal mortality rates fall with the education of girls. In particular, an increase in the rate of mother education reduces child mortality by 50 percent. 

Ultimately, in an environment where gender discrimination still exists, depriving girls of education will lead to early marriages, gender-based violence, and health problems. For these reasons, the compulsory education in Turkey must not be reduced even by one year.