Assembly at EHS Highlights Lack of Access for Girls to Higher Education Around the Globe

Since 2011, the United Nations has worked “to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world” by declaring October 11th as International Day of the Girl. According to their website, “The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.”

Though many of us may have missed the opportunity to celebrate the important day this past October 11th, one student at Edgemont High School made sure the day didn’t go unnoticed by her peers. In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of the right for girls all over the world to be able to access an education, junior Eleni Piniros created and delivered an informative assembly that demonstrated how in many parts of the world, girls are prohibited from going to school and getting an education beyond the elementary grades.

Piniros said she was honored to have Dr. Barbara Kapetanakes, a founding member of the NYS Psychological Association LGBTQ Task Force and past president of the Westchester Psychological Association, join her presentation to talk “about girl empowerment, the importance of an education, and how having an education affects female earning power and the ability to make choices and have more options throughout life.”

In a recent interview Piniros detailed the highlights of her assembly and why she feels it is so important that we all take action.

Q: What important issues does your assembly call attention to?

A: The assembly was held on October 11th which was International Day of the Girl which I felt would be a perfect day to speak about the importance of the right for girls all over the world to be able to access an education.

Important Points:
I spoke about the Malala Fund which is a non-profit organization and how it advocates for girls to be able to go to secondary school so that they can get an education. In many parts of the world, girls are not able to go to school beyond the 6th grade.

My PowerPoint presentation included information regarding geography and statistics about countries which don’t allow girls to have an education.

Dr. Kapetanakes presented the history of Women’s Rights and how these rights are still not guaranteed in the 21st century. Dr. Kapetanakes also talked about the psychological standpoint when it comes to girls having an education and about the importance of an education giving girls the ability to live a better life and be more independent by being able to make life choices.

Q: What do you hope other students will take away from the assembly?

A: I wanted my classmates to be made aware that this conflict exists in many parts of the world and it’s not fair. I wanted them to understand that we are extremely privileged living where we are able to attend school every day. I feel that it is easy to be unaware concerning this conflict happening right now. During the assembly I asked, “Can you imagine that right now, we girls would not be allowed to be at Edgemont HS?”

Also, at the beginning of the assembly, I said there would be a trivia contest at the end. Then at the end of the presentation, I showed slides with questions and I gave the first student to raise their hand and answer correctly a bracelet that our group made. It was fun and it helped to keep the students’ attention during the assembly.

Q: What actionable steps can students/people take to help girls gain more access to education?

A: Students can become educated on the conflict. And at Edgemont HS, students can join my school club, Beads for Malala, where as a group we make bracelets and sell them in addition to bake sales to raise money to donate to the Malala Fund.

Q: What inspired you to create this assembly?

A: I was inspired to create this assembly because I’m one of the founders of my school club which I started last year and I wanted to expand my efforts to increase awareness for this important issue to my high school community and hopefully beyond. I think it is a very important cause since many people do not realize that girls are still not allowed to attend school in parts of the world. Though it's true that in some countries there simply isn't enough money to build schools and supply students with the learning materials they need, it is important for people to understand that this isn't the only barrier to education that many girls face. In places like Afghanistan, it is against the law for females to even attend school.

Q: Is the assembly online for others to watch?

A: The assembly was not recorded and unfortunately is not online however, I’m hoping to be able to present again soon and have that recorded to share with other communities in Westchester and possibly beyond. Although when we presented on October 11th, it was Day of the Girl, this is an issue that girls are facing every day so the subject matter is relevant all throughout the year so I think we might be able to make this happen.
See here for more information about International Day of the Girl.