I.Introduction

1.The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, at its seventy-fifth session, to be held from 10 to 28 February 2020 at the United Nations Office at Geneva, will examine the national reports of the following countries: Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Eritrea, Kiribati, Latvia, Pakistan, Republic of Moldova and Zimbabwe.

2.As a specialized agency of the United Nations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) contributes to the building of peace, the alleviation of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, and communication and information. In accordance with the its Medium-Term Strategy for 2014 to 2021, gender equality has been designated as one of the two global priorities of UNESCO and continues to be a global priority for the period 2014 to 2021. “Priority gender equality” is pursued at UNESCO through a two-pronged approach: (a) gender-specific programming; and (b) mainstreaming of gender equality perspectives in all of its fields of competence.

3.UNESCO has a major role and responsibility within the United Nations system for the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Article 10 of the Convention provides that States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in order to ensure to them equal rights with men in the field of education. The right to education is at the very heart of the mission of UNESCO and represents an integral part of its constitutional mandate.

4.Efforts by UNESCO to promote women’s empowerment, women’s rights and gender equality are guided by its medium-term strategy for the period 2014–2021; its biennial and quadrennial programme and budget documents; its organization-wide action plan on the priority gender equality for 2014–2021, which supports and guides its implementation of global gender equality priority; the Convention; the Beijing Platform for Action; and resolutions and international and regional instruments relevant to the areas of action of UNESCO.

5.The commitment of UNESCO to pursuing its gender equality priority is facilitated by the Division for Gender Equality in the Office of the Director-General. As the UNESCO focal point for gender equality, the Division provides policy guidance and recommendations to senior management and the programme sectors on mainstreaming gender equality considerations into UNESCO policies, strategies and programmes; carries out capacity-building; monitors gender parity and work-life balance within the secretariat; and develops and establishes partnerships with other United Nations bodies, regional bodies, intergovernmental organizations, non‑governmental organizations, private foundations and private sector partners that support initiatives for the empowerment of women and gender equality.

II.Measures taken by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to implement the provisions of the Convention in the countries to be considered at the seventy-fifth session

Afghanistan

6.Afghanistan has been a party to the Convention against Discrimination in Education since 25 January 2010.

7.Afghanistan ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 5 March 2003 with no reservations.

8.The Constitution of Afghanistan enshrines the right to education but is limited to citizens and therefore does not apply to everyone within its territory. It contains a general principle of non-discrimination and an equality principle that do not mention the grounds of sex. Article 22 of the 2004 Constitution stipulates the following: “Any kind of discrimination and distinction between citizens of Afghanistan shall be forbidden. The citizens of Afghanistan, man and women, have equal rights and duties before the law.”

9.The Education Law of 1387 (2008) enshrines the right to education without discrimination but does not expressly mention the grounds of sex. Furthermore, the right to education is limited to citizens and does not apply to all within the territory. Thus, article 3 of the Law stipulates: “The citizens of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan have equal rights to education without any kind of discrimination.”

10.Moreover, free education has for at least 12 years been enshrined in article 43 of the Constitution, which stipulates: “Education is the right of all citizens of Afghanistan, which shall be offered up to the B.A. level in the state educational institutes free of charge by the state. To expand balanced education, as well as to provide mandatory intermediate education throughout Afghanistan, the state shall design and implement effective programmes and prepare the ground for teaching mother tongues in areas where they are spoken.” The Education Law provides for preschool education that is free of charge but does not state that it is compulsory and the duration is not specified. Article 4 (2) of the Education Law stipulates: “Preschool educational level, intermediate (basic) education, secondary, technical professional, vocational, artistic, formal Islamic education, higher education (thirteenth and fourteenth grades), teachers’ training, literacy and basic practical education in the public educational and training institutions are provided for free.” Article 44 of the Constitution adds: “The state shall devise and implement effective programmes to create and foster balanced education for women, improve education of nomads as well as eliminate illiteracy in the country.” The Education Law also specifies that intermediate education is compulsory from first to ninth grade, but there is lack of clarity regarding the age of completion in article 5 (1) in light of article 17. Thus, article 4 (1) of the Education Law stipulates: “The intermediate (basic) education in Afghanistan is compulsory”, and Article 5 (1) stipulates: “Children, from age six to the completion of age nine, are compulsory enrolled in the intermediate (basic) education schools level.” Article 17 adds: “Intermediate (Basic) educational level comprises grade first to the end of grade ninth, provided free and compulsory in a balanced and equitable manner, in accordance with the educational standards, considering the number of population and Kochies residing in the area.” No legal provision prohibiting restrictions to the right to education of pregnant and parenting girls has been identified.

11.No legal provision has been identified concerning equal access to post-secondary education. Article 23 of the Education Law contains a provision on technical and vocational education and training but only states that it is provided and expanded in public educational institutions in an equitable manner.

12.In 2017, the gross enrolment ratio in primary education was 82.66 per cent for women and 121.1 per cent for men. In 2017, the gross enrolment ratio in secondary education was 38.76 per cent for women and 68.06 per cent for men.

13.Corporal punishment in schools is prohibited under the Education Law. No legal provision that expressively prohibits gender-based violence in the education system has been identified. Article 39 of the Education Law stipulates: “Every kind of physical and psychological punishment of students is prohibited even for their correction and chastisement. Violators shall be prosecuted in accordance with the legal provisions.”

14.In Afghanistan, compulsory education starts at age 6 for a minimum of nine years, but the minimum age of employment is 14. Therefore, the minimum age of employment is below 15 and is not aligned with the end of compulsory education. According to article 127 of the Labour Law No 35 of 2007: “The young employee is the person who has completed 14 years of age but has not attained 18 years of age.”

15.The Civil Code 1977 states that girls can marry at 16 years old with exceptions allowing for marriage at 15 years old. Thus, article 70 of the Civil Code stipulates, “Capacity to marry shall be complete when males attain 18 and females 16 years.” Moreover, article 71 stipulates, “Marriage contract of a girl who has not attained the age mentioned in article (70) of this Law may only be concluded by her competent father or competent court … Marriage contract of minor girls under 15 years old are not permissible by no means.”

16.According to the UNESCO Gender Report of the Global Education Monitoring Report 2019, the early marriage rate is 35 per cent. According to the United Nations Statistics Division, in 2015, 8.8 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 years were married or in a union before the age of 15 years.

17.According to the Gender Report, the early pregnancy rate is 12 per cent.

Bulgaria

18.Bulgaria has been a party to the Convention against Discrimination in Education since 4 November 1962.

19.Bulgaria ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 8 February 1982 with no reservations.

20.The 1991 Constitution of Bulgaria, amended in 2007, enshrines the right to education without discrimination based on sex/gender. It is not clear that the right to education is guaranteed on a non-discriminatory basis for all. Article 6 of the Constitution stipulates that: “All persons are born free and equal in dignity and rights … All citizens shall be equal before the law. There shall be no privileges or restriction of rights on the grounds of race, national or social origin, ethnic self-identity, sex, religion, education, opinion, political affiliation, personal or social status or property status.” Moreover, article 53 (1) stipulates that: “Everyone shall have the right to education.”

21.In Bulgaria, legislation enshrines the right to education and contains a general principle of non-discrimination but does not explicitly mention sex or gender as a prohibited ground for distinction. Thus, article 3 of the Preschool and School Education Act (Gazette No. 79/13.10.2015) stipulates that: “Education is a national priority based on [principles of] equal access to high-quality education and inclusion of every child and every pupil … equal treatment and non-discrimination in preschool and school education.” Moreover, article 7 stipulates: “Everybody shall have the right to education and may improve his or her education and qualifications through lifelong learning … The inclusive education shall constitute an integral part of the right to education.”

22.Education from the age of seven to sixteen years is compulsory, covering primary and lower secondary education. Article 8 of the Preschool and School Education Act stipulates that: “School education shall be compulsory until the age of 16, starting from the school year which begins in the year in which the child becomes seven years of age.” Moreover, article 38 adds: “Depending on the stage or degree of education, non-specialized schools shall be: elementary (grades I to IV inclusive); primary (grades I to VII inclusive); gymnasiums (grades VIII to XII inclusive); integrated (grades I to X inclusive); secondary (grades I to XII inclusive).”

23.The Preschool and School Education Act refers to equal access to high-quality education, although that principle does not explicitly apply to post-secondary education. Two years of pre-primary education are free and compulsory in Bulgaria. Article 8 of the Act stipulates that: “Preschool education shall be compulsory as from the school year starting in the year in which the child turns five years of age … the state and local governments shall create conditions for kindergartens and preschool education groups to cover all children”, and article 9 adds: “The compulsory preschool and school education at state-owned and municipal kindergartens and schools shall be free for children and pupils.” The gross enrolment ratio for pre‑primary education in 2016 was 76.65 per cent of girls and 77.74 per cent of boys.

24.Free primary and secondary education is guaranteed in municipal schools in Bulgaria for 12 years, starting the year the child turns seven. Article 9 of the Preschool and School Education Act stipulates, in addition to the abovementioned quote, that: “The right to free education shall be exercised by not paying tuition fees for the training financed from the state budget, and using free-of-charge the facilities for training and development of the interests and abilities of children and pupils. No fees shall be paid also in the case of sitting for state matriculation exams and state exams for awarding professional qualifications in the theory and practice of the occupation for the purposes of acquiring a secondary education degree.” The gross enrolment ratio for secondary education in 2016 was 98.08 per cent for girls and 101.18 per cent for boys.

25.According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 79,850 women aged 15 years and older were registered as illiterate in 2001, compared with 66,453 in 2011, while 41,010 men aged 15 years and older were registered as illiterate in 2001, compared with 38,515 in 2011.

26.In 2019, the gender parity index of the gross enrolment rate in Bulgaria was 0.99 in primary school, 0.96 in lower secondary school and 0.98 in upper secondary school. The gender parity index of the completion rate of lower secondary was 1.01 and 0.9 for upper secondary. In 2016, 10 per cent of primary school-age girls were out of school. In 2019, with respect to tertiary education, 40 per cent of all engineering graduates and 30 per cent of information and communications technology (ICT) graduates were women.

27.The minimum age for employment in Bulgaria is 16 years, which is aligned with the end of compulsory education. Article 301 of the Labour Code (amended in 2018) stipulates: “The minimum age for employment shall be 16. The employment of persons under 16 years of age is prohibited.”

28.The minimum age of marriage is 18 years for men and women in Bulgaria, with exceptions from the age of 16 permissible with judicial consent. Article 6 of the Family Code (amended in 2013) stipulates: “Marriage shall be allowed to persons above the age of eighteen … By way of exception, where compelling reasons warrant it, a person aged sixteen may also get married with the consent of the district judge at the place of permanent residence of this person.”

29.No legal provision has been identified relating to the right to education of pregnant and parenting girls.

Eritrea

30.Eritrea is not a party to the Convention against Discrimination in Education.

31.Eritrea ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 5 September 1995 with no reservations.

32.The Constitution of Eritrea does not enshrine the right to education but limits the scope of the right to equal access to public services and to make education available within the limits of State resources. The Constitution contains a provision on the principle of non-discrimination on the grounds of sex. The Constitution of Eritrea of 1997 recognizes in its article 14 that: “All persons are equal before the law … No person may be discriminated against on account of race, ethnic origin, language, colour, sex, religion, disability, political belief or opinion, or social or economic status or any other factors.” Article 21 adds “Every citizen shall have the right of equal access to publicly funded social services. The State shall endeavour, within the limit of its resources, to make available to all citizens health, education, cultural and other social services.”

33.According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, compulsory education is from age 6 to age 13. Pre-primary education is for children aged 4 to 5 years; primary education for children aged 6 to 10 years; secondary education for children aged 11 to 17 years; and tertiary education for people aged 18 to 22 years. According to the Gender Report, the gender parity index of the gross enrolment ratio is 0.86 in primary school, 0.88 in lower secondary school and 0.84 in upper secondary school.

34.Also according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the gross enrolment ratio in pre-primary education in 2017 was 21.14 per cent for girls and 21.61 per cent for boys. In primary education, the gross enrolment ratio was 63.2 per cent for girls and 73.53 per cent for boys. In secondary education, the gross enrolment ratio was 44.71 per cent for girls and 49.99 per cent for boys. In tertiary education, in 2016, the gross enrolment ratio was 2.79 per cent for women and 3.93 per cent for men.

35.In 2017, Eritrea had a total of 238,210 children out of school, including 122,508 girls and 115,702 boys, and 87,602 adolescents out of school, including 48,619 women and 38,983 men.

36.In Eritrea, according to the Fourth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education, women and girls are the primary focus of new literacy programmes offered through learning centres, resulting from collaborations with different communities in remote areas. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the number of illiterate men and women aged 15 years and older has decreased between 2002 and 2018: in 2002, there were 433,250 illiterate women in Eritrea, compared with 315,382 in 2018; and 243,570 illiterate men in 2002, compared with 155,071 in 2018.

37.According to the Gender Report, 27 per cent of secondary schools have no sanitation systems.

38.The Civil Code explicitly states that the minimum age of marriage for women and men is 18 years. Those conditions do not apply to marriages governed by Islamic sharia law. The Civil Code also recognizes marriages between the age of 15 and 18 in recognition of Eritrean customary marriage practices. According to the Gender Report, the early marriage rate is 41 per cent.

Kiribati

39.Kiribati is not a party to the Convention against Discrimination in Education.

40.Kiribati ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 17 March 2004 with no reservations.

41.The Constitution of Kiribati does not enshrine the right to education. It contains a general non-discrimination clause that does not cite sex or gender as a prohibited ground. In its article 15, the Constitution states that: “no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect ... no person shall be treated in a discriminatory manner by any person acting by virtue of any written law or in the performance of the functions of any public office or any public authority … In this section, the expression ‘discriminatory’ means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description are not made subject or are accorded privileges or advantages which are not accorded to persons of another such description.” The Education Act 2013 specifies in its article 12 that a child cannot be refused school enrolment “on the basis of his or her sex, religion, race or disability”, and that enrolment is the responsibility of the parents. Article 40 of the Act also states that school rules must be applied “without discrimination on the basis of a student’s sex, religion, race or disability.”

42.The period of compulsory primary-secondary education is nine years. According to the Education Act, the compulsory education period is “from the beginning of the year in which the child reaches the age of 6 years and 7 months until the earlier of the following: (a) the end of the year in which the child reaches the age of 15; (b) the child completes his or her junior secondary education.” Pre-primary school can last three years. Primary school then lasts six years, lower secondary school lasts three years and upper secondary lasts four years. According to the Gender Report, the adjusted gender parity index in gross enrolment ration is 1.06 at the primary level and 1.13 at the lower secondary level.

43.The nine years of compulsory education are free. This is guaranteed by the Education Act, article 11 of which states: “Every child of compulsory school age is entitled to free enrolment and free education at a primary or junior secondary school.”

44.Kiribati participated in the survey that fed into the Fourth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education.

45.Under article 39 of the Education Act, “serious breach of school discipline”, defined as, among other things, “using violence or threats of violence against another person” or “the sexual harassment or indecent assault of another person”, can “justify the immediate suspension of the student from school”.

46.The inclusion of gender equality in national curricula is low, and there is no inclusion of human rights. According to the Gender Report, Kiribati is in the third tier out of six of governmental international commitment to gender equality. The gender parity index of students experiencing bullying is 0.76. In primary school, 82 per cent of teachers are women. The transition rate from primary to secondary education is 96.52 for girls and 96.16 for boys.

47.The Education Act specifies in its article 16 that: “A person employing a child of compulsory school age during school hours is liable to a fine not exceeding $500”, unless a certificate of exemption has been issued. That implies that the minimum age for employment is 15, or younger if the child has completed their education.

48.According to the United Nations Statistics Division, the minimum age for marriage is 16 for boys and girls if they have their parental consent and 21 if they do not have parental consent. In its annex, the Education Act states: “Kiribati is obliged to ensure that male and female students are treated equally, and the previous practice of expelling students who become pregnant is inconsistent with this obligation.”

49.Also according to the United Nations Statistics Division, the adolescent birth rate (15 to 19 years old) is estimated at 49 per 1,000 women.

Latvia

50.Latvia has been a party to the Convention against Discrimination in Education since 16 June 2009.

51.Latvia ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 14 April 1992 with no reservations.

52.The Constitution of Latvia enshrines the right to education to all. It contains a provision on equality and non-discrimination but does not specify sex or gender as a prohibited ground. The Constitution of Latvia of 1922, as amended through to 2016, states: “All human beings in Latvia shall be equal before the law and the courts. Human rights shall be realised without discrimination of any kind” (article 91); “Everyone has the right to education. The State shall ensure that everyone may acquire primary and secondary education without charge. Primary education shall be compulsory” (article 112).

53.Compulsory education lasts 11 years, from age 5 to 15. It includes two years of pre-primary school and nine years of mandatory primary/secondary school. However, free school can include 16 years of school: 4 years of pre-primary school, 6 years of primary school, 3 years of lower secondary and 3 years of upper secondary school.

54.According to the Gender Report, the gross enrolment ratio is 99 per cent in primary school, with an adjusted gender parity index for gross enrolment in primary school of 1. The gender parity index for completion is 1.02 in lower secondary school and 1.05 in upper secondary school. In secondary education, the gross enrolment ratio is 110.16 per cent for girls and 111.26 per cent for boys. According to the United Nations Statistics Division, in tertiary education, the gross enrolment ratio is much higher for women, at 105.06 per cent, than for men, at 72.02 per cent.

55.According to the United Nations Statistics Division, the primary to secondary transition rate in 2016 was 98.77 per cent for boys and 99.2 per cent for girls.

56.The literacy rate has increased since 1990. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, in 2011, of the population aged 15 years and older, 99.88 per cent of men and 99.91 per cent of women were literate. This represents 959,000 men and 912,000 women.

57.According to the Gender Report, Latvia is in the first tier of Government international commitment to gender equality. The gender parity index of students experiencing bullying is 1.02. There are 93 per cent of female teachers in primary schools, and 83 per cent in secondary schools.

58.Sections 32 and 33 of the Civil Law of Latvia prohibit marriage prior to the attaining 18 years of age, except in the case when a person who has attained 16 years of age marries with the consent of his or her parents or guardians, provided he or she marries a person of the age of majority.

Pakistan

59.Pakistan is not a party to the Convention against Discrimination in Education. The country did not respond to the Ninth Consultation of Member States on the Implementation of the Convention.

60.Pakistan ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 12 March 1996 with reservations.

61.The Constitution of Pakistan does not comprehensively enshrine the right to education but places an obligation on the State to provide free and compulsory education from ages 5 to 16. There is a non-discrimination clause that prohibits discrimination based on sex. Article 25 states: “All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law … There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex … Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the protection of women and children.” Moreover, article 25-A states: “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law.” Finally, article38(d) includes a non-discrimination clause that states: “The State shall … provide basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief, for all such citizens, irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race, as are permanently or temporarily unable to earn their livelihood on account of infirmity, sickness or unemployment.”

62.The Constitution provides free and compulsory education to children from the age of 5 to 16 years. This includes five years of primary education, three years of lower secondary education and four years of upper education. Although several territories have implemented this provision through their own legislation, the Balochistan Province does not expressly guarantee compulsory education for a defined period.

63.Disparities based on gender, socioeconomic status and geography are significant. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, In Sindh, 52 per cent of the poorest children (58 per cent girls) are out of school, and in Balochistan, 78 per cent of girls are out of school. Balochistan faces many challenges in the education sector, including a large number of out-of-school children, high dropout rates, wide gender disparities in education indicators and poor quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. The Balochistan education sector plan for 2013 to 2018 focuses on improving access and equity for girls and boys. Education outcomes remain weak in Sindh. There are inequalities concerning access to education between districts, rural and urban areas, the poor and the non-poor, and between genders. In general, girls in rural areas as well as boys and girls from households in the lowest income quintiles are at the highest risk of being out of school. The Sindh education sector plan for 2014 to 2018 focuses on increasing access to education for the most marginalized children, including girls, and improving learning outcomes along with governance and accountability of the education sector. Gaps in service provision at all education levels is a major constraint to education access. Sociocultural demand-side barriers combined with economic factors and supply-related issues – such as availability of school facilities – hamper the access and retention of certain marginalized groups, in particular adolescent girls.

64.The number of out-of-school children remains high, with a significant gap between boys and girls. The out-of-school rate in 2017 was 24 per cent in primary education, 46 per cent in lower secondary education and 62 per cent in upper secondary education. The adjusted gender parity index of the gross enrolment ratio is 0.86 in primary education, 0.81 in secondary education and 0.87 in tertiary education. Moreover, according to the Gender Report, 51 per cent of adults value university for boys over girls.

65.In 2014, 52 million adults were illiterate (representing a literacy rate of 57 per cent), including 10 million young illiterate adults. Women represent 63 per cent of the illiterate population.

66.In 2017, only 1 per cent of young people were enrolled in technical and vocational education and training.

67.According to the Gender Report, 9 per cent of secondary schools have no sanitation systems.

68.There is a low inclusion of gender equality in the Pakistani national curricula, but the subject of human rights is well integrated. According to the Gender Report, Pakistan is in the fourth tier regarding governmental international commitment to gender equality.

69.UNESCO has been working on promoting girls’ education in the most marginalized areas of Pakistan through its multi-year flagship programme, the Girls’ Right to Education Programme in Pakistan. Funded by multiple donors, including the Government of Pakistan, the programme aims at improving access to, retention in and the quality of girls’ primary education in the most marginalized areas of Pakistan. In 2018, the Republic of Korea supported the Programme. The $3.4 million project supports national capacity-development to realize girls’ right to education in the Punjab Province and Gilgit-Baltistan, through interventions targeting education officials, community leaders, teachers and parents.

70.At the federal level, the Penal Code offers a defence for corporal punishment, which is therefore considered legitimate in situations where it does not reach a threshold of “grievous hurt”. Although certain provinces have implemented legislation that protects children against corporal punishment in schools, no legal provision has been found in Balochistan Province on the subject. There is also a lack of protection from other forms of violence in educational institutions.

71.The laws relating to child labour in Pakistan are contradictory. The Employment of Children Act 1991 states that no child – which it defines as “a person who has not completed his fourteenth year of age” – “shall be employed or permitted to work in any of the occupations set forth in Part I of the Schedule or in any workshop wherein any of the processes set forth in Part II of that Schedule is carried on.” However, the Constitution of Pakistan of 1973, as amended in 2018, only establishes in its article 11.3 that: “No child below the age of fourteen years shall be engaged in any factory or mine or any other hazardous employment.”

72.Marriage is permissible for girls from the age of 16 and boys from the age of 18. According to article 2, (a) of the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, “child” is defined as a person who, if a male, is under 18 years of age and, if a female, is under 16 years of age. According to the Gender Report, the early marriage rate is 21 per cent.

73.According to the Gender Report, the early pregnancy rate is 8 per cent.

Republic of Moldova

74.The Republic of Moldova ratified the Convention against Discrimination in Education on 17 March 1993.

75.The Republic of Moldova ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 1 July 1994 with no reservations.

76.The Constitution of the Republic of Moldova of 1994, amended in 2016, ensures the right to education and contains a provision on equality before the law regardless of sex. The non-discrimination principle appears to apply only to citizens, and therefore it is not clear that the right to education is guaranteed on a non‑discriminatory basis for all. Article 16 stipulates that: “The respect and protection of the individual shall constitute the foremost duty of the State … All citizens of the Republic of Moldova are equal before the law and public authorities, regardless of the race, nationality, ethnic origin, language, religion, sex, opinion, political affiliation, property or social origin.” Article 35 provides that: “The right to education shall be ensured by way of compulsory comprehensive school system, by secondary education and vocational education, higher education system, as well as by other forms of education and continuous training.”

77.The education system of the Republic of Moldova is mostly governed by the Education Code of 2014, which established the legal framework of relations for the design, organization, implementation and development of the education system in the Republic of Moldova. Thus, article 9 of the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova stipulates: “The citizens of the Republic of Moldova shall have equal rights to education and initial and continuing professional training through the national education system, according to the present Code … The state shall ensure the financing of the standard package of educational services for the preschool, primary, gymnasium and lyceum education, regardless of the educational institution’s ownership form. The standard package of educational services for general education shall be approved by the Government.”

78.Free and compulsory education for boys and girls lasts from age 7 to age 18. Pre-primary education is for children aged 3 to 6 years, primary education for children aged 7 to 10 years, secondary education for children aged 11 to 17 years and tertiary education for people aged 18 to 22 years. In 2017, 18.33 per cent of the Government’s budget was devoted to education. There is an “equality assurance principle” in article 7 of the Education Code.

79.According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, in 2017, the gross enrolment ratio was more or less the same between women and men, and even in favour of women in tertiary education. The gross enrolment ratio in pre-primary education is 86.55 per cent for girls and 86.84 per cent for boys. In primary education, the gross enrolment ratio is 90.65 per cent for girls and 90.59 per cent for boys. In secondary education, the gross enrolment ratio is 86.45 per cent for girls and 87.33 per cent for boys. In tertiary education, in 2016, the gross enrolment ratio was 45.72 per cent for women and 34.18 per cent for men. The Republic of Moldova had a total of 13,954 children out of school (including 6,601 girls and 7,353 girls) in 2018 and 27,778 adolescents out of school (including 13,939 girls and 13,839 boys) in the same period.

80.Also according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the number of illiterate men and women aged 15 years and older decreased between 1989 and 2014. In 1989, 93,330 women aged 15 years and older were registered as illiterate, compared with 15,494 in 2014. For men, that number was 20,150 in 1989 and 6,471 in 2014.

81.In 2018, 37.32 per cent of girls and 55.33 per cent of boys were enrolled in technical and vocational education and training in secondary education.

82.According to the Gender Report, the gender parity index of the gross enrolment ratio was 0.99 in primary school, 0.96 in lower secondary and 0.98 in upper secondary. Moreover, 40 per cent of tertiary graduates in engineering were female, and women represented 30 per cent of ICT graduates.

83.In 2011, the minimum legal age for marriage without parental consent was 16 years for women and 18 years for men. According to the Gender Report, 12 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 years have experienced early marriage (i.e. were first married or in a union before the age of 18) in the Republic of Moldova.

Zimbabwe

84.Zimbabwe ratified the Convention against Discrimination in Education on 30 May 2006.

85.Zimbabwe ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 13 May 1991 with no reservations.

86.The 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe does not fully enshrine the right to education as it is limited to basic and adult education, with the right to further education based on the State making it progressively available and accessible. It also applies to citizens only and therefore does not apply to all within the territory. It creates an obligation for the State to take measures to ensure that girls are afforded the same educational opportunities as boys and contains a principle of non‑discrimination based on sex and gender and an equality principle for men and women. Article 27 (2) states: “The State must take measures to ensure that girls are afforded the same opportunities as boys to obtain education at all levels.” Moreover, article 56, on equality and non-discrimination, declares that: “All persons are equal before the law and have the right to equal protection and benefit of the law … Women and men have the right to equal treatment, including the right to equal opportunities in political, economic, cultural and social spheres … Every person has the right not to be treated in an unfairly discriminatory manner on such grounds as their nationality, race, colour, tribe, place of birth, ethnic or social origin, language, class, religious belief, political affiliation, opinion, custom, culture, sex, gender, marital status, age, pregnancy, disability or economic or social status, or whether they were born in or out of wedlock.” Finally, article 75, on the right to education, states that: “Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has a right to: (a) a basic State-funded education, including adult basic education; and (b) further education, which the State, through reasonable legislative and other measures, must make progressively available and accessible … The State must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within the limits of the resources available to it, to achieve the progressive realization of the right set out in subsection (1).”

87.Education is mandatory at the primary-secondary level for seven years, starting at 6 years old. According to the Gender Report, pre-primary school lasts two years, primary school lasts seven years, lower secondary education lasts two years and higher secondary education lasts four years. In 2015, the adjusted gender parity index for completion was 1.03 in primary education, 1.01 in lower secondary education and 0.77 in upper secondary education.

88.Women represent 46 per cent of engineering graduates and 20 per cent of ICT graduates.

89.According to the Gender Report, 16 per cent of adults in Zimbabwe value university for boys over girls. Zimbabwe is in the first tier regarding the Government’s international commitment to gender equality.

90.In 2013, it was estimated that 400,000 children were out of primary school (15 per cent), 100,000 were out of lower secondary school (10 per cent) and 1,000,000 children were out of upper secondary school (53 per cent). The gender parity index for the gross enrolment rate was 0.98 in primary education, 1.04 in lower secondary education and 0.93 in upper secondary education.

91.In 2014, 90 per cent of young people and 89 per cent of adults were literate. According to the Gender Report and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 300,000 young people in Zimbabwe were illiterate – 36 per cent of whom were women – as well as 1,000,000 adults – 54 per cent of whom were women. The adjusted gender parity index for literacy was 1.06 for young people and 0.99 for adults.

92.According to the Gender Report, 6 per cent of secondary schools have no sanitation systems.

93.According to the Gender Report, the early marriage rate is 32 per cent, with 3.70 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 years in 2015 being married or in a union before 15 years old. According to the United Nations Statistics Division, the minimum legal age for marriage is 16 for boys and girls with parental consent and 18 without parental consent.

94.According to the Gender Report, the early pregnancy rate is 22 per cent.