‘Where are you really from?’ ‘Where are you really from?’ I’ve faced this question more times than I care to recall. A new acquaintance is dissatisfied with your first answer and presses for details of your ethnicity, family history and more. Why do they need to know all this? You are being made to feel that you don’t really belong. Who you think you are is seemingly irrelevant. A shared past? In recent years, the British Empire has moved from being a rarely discussed part of our shared history to the centre of controversy about what it means to be British. Social media feeds suggest those who critique the past are disloyal, even traitorous! This is ironic, since history is reinterpreted in every generation; historians are constantly reviewing evidence. It may be because most of us educated in British schools in recent decades learned very little about this episode of history. Before World War Two, children celebrated Empire Day by dressing and parading in fancy costumes. But postwar, as former colonial territories struggled for independence, the celebrations were quietly dropped. My schooling skated over the topic of empire and certainly didn’t link it to Britain’s Industrial Revolution. Why? It wasn’t a question of curriculum space, for we covered the Tudors and Stuarts innumerable times. The power of stories Fortunately, I was raised in a family of storytellers, learning at an early age there are many sides to every story. My mother and maternal grandparents were migrants, each moving several times across oceans. In 2018, I spent a few days in Chennai, India - the former city of Madras that my grandparents left 100 years earlier - on my way to work in Sri Lanka. During this trip I realised that my family stories, retold in each place, despite war and upheaval, were very special. I decided to write a family-orientated story of empire, that would include women’s stories. I resolved to visit each of the places where they settled - Chennai, Sarawak, and Singapore – all once part of the British Empire. Then the pandemic hit, and unable to travel, I was forced to time travel. It was tricky, with libraries and archives shut for many months, but miraculously, in 2021 I came across a letter written in 1817 by my great- great- great-grandfather in Madras. In it, he tells his story, that of a Tamil boy, captured and enslaved by the East India Company, who in 1789 found himself destitute on the streets of London, and who eventually worked his passage back to India. He worked as butler to a European family and in his free time provided schooling for the poorest people of Madras. What we share The Steve Sinnott Foundation believes education gives people the opportunity to make the most of their lives and opportunities. My three-times great-grandfather, William Roberts, held a similar vision of the power of education to change lives. The project he founded in seventeenth century Madras lives on today and is witness to his vision. My book Where are you from? No, where are you really from? recounts William’s story and doesn’t shy away from the devastating impacts of empire, but it is also one of hope and happiness. I include stories of children’s lives, and of romantic love against the odds. It’s a story of a mixed-heritage Anglo-Indian family over six generations. I believe in the power of stories to change lives and to look afresh at our commonalities and differences. This is more important today than ever, in the face of war, destruction and disrespect for civilian lives. I invite you, the reader, to reconsider: where are you really from? Biography Audrey Osler is Professor Emerita of Citizenship and Human Rights Education at the University of Leeds, founding Editor-in-Chief of Human Rights Education Review, and co-Chair of the International Association for Human Rights Education (IAHRE). Audrey is a patron of the Steve Sinnott Foundation. Her latest book, Where are you from? No, where are you really from? is published by Virago. Book launch You are warmly invited to join me for my book launch ‘Where are you from? No, where are you really from?’ On Sunday 24 March 2.30 in Central London, St James Piccadilly. I’ll be in conversation with Yasmin Alibhai Brown. Register for your free ticket here: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.eventbrite.co.uk_e_where-2Dare-2Dyou-2Dreally-2Dfrom-2Dtickets-2D850696595417-3Faff-3Doddtdtcreator First published in Engage 28

The education of women and girls throughout the world is of paramount importance. Educating them will have implications for societies, communities and the world in general. The education of women and girls is a key driver of sustainable development and social progress, and a human rights issue. However, there are still many challenges and obstacles to girls’ education. Inequality and discrimination are still the order of the day. Let’s take a closer look at what this means and what the possible solutions are. Gender equality and equity There has been a marked improvement in girls’ education over the last 25 years, and much progress has been made. The latest UNESCO report states that 180 million more girls have enrolled in school. However, when it comes to access to and completion of education in poor countries, there is a gender gap. Girls are less likely to enrol and stay in school, those who do enrol do not complete primary school, and few of those who do complete primary school go on to university. According to surveys carried out by UNESCO: 2018 (130 million girls in the world are not in school) 2019 (12 million are married at an early age) 2019 (18.5 million girls aged between 15 and 19 become pregnant). According to article 3 of the preamble to the 1946 constitution: ‘The law guarantees women, in all areas, equal rights with men’ despite this, there is still a long way to go before we can talk about equity and equality between women and men, particularly in education. The GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT (GEM) affirmed this in a report published in 2020 entitled ‘25 years of efforts to achieve gender equality in education’. Access to education, the main obstacles Girls and young women are deprived of their right to education. They face various obstacles. These include: Poverty: Almost everywhere in the world, children living in poverty encounter difficulties in education, but the stakes are much higher for girls. In families with little money, there are not enough resources to send all the children to school, so the choice goes to the boy or boys in the family. Ethnicity: There are also cultural factors that come into play; in some traditions, unfortunately, girls are still assigned to housework, and the focus is on domestic chores rather than their education, as it should be. This favours the education of boys while neglecting that of girls. Disability: Disabled girls are doubly victimised because of their status as girls and as disabled children. Education is difficult for them to access, and they are subject to multiple forms of discrimination. Many of them do not go to school, and the quality and treatment received by those who do is questionable. Child marriage: Child marriage, most of which is forced, has serious consequences on the lives of young girls, which in turn has repercussions for the community. Married children mean responsibility and dropping out of school. Early and unwanted pregnancy: When girls become pregnant, they automatically stop attending school, either because they are stigmatised, marginalised or simply because their institution considers pregnancy to be grounds for dismissal. Gender-based violence: So many young girls have had to drop out of school because of gender-based violence. The violence is physical, sexual and moral. It usually happens at school, on the way to school, or on the way to get supplies for the home (fetching water, wood for cooking, etc.). Educating girls, opportunities and consequences While there are obstacles to girls’ education, there are also opportunities that could alleviate the problems. If we want a strong society with fulfilled women, we need to educate them, starting in early childhood. Educating girls from early childhood will give them a solid foundation for their learning and their future. They become well-rounded, aware adults. They avoid early marriages and pregnancies that would limit their future prospects. However, if we are talking about schooling for girls, we need to talk about education that is adapted to the needs of each individual. Many children have access to education on the cheap. Teachers are not sufficiently trained, the environment is inadequate and there is a lack of school infrastructure. Talking about getting girls into school should really mean guaranteeing quality and appropriate education. Gender stereotypes need to be deconstructed Girls and boys must enjoy their right to education equally and equitably. (Including pregnant girls and young mothers). Governments must establish an inclusive education system at all levels. Disabled people must fully enjoy their right to education in accordance with Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The same opportunities must be offered to all on an equal basis. If we want girls to go to school, it must be of good quality and there must be a good infrastructure. Much better hygiene care is needed in schools. The issue of menstrual hygiene should no longer be an obstacle to education, and there must be access to intimate hygiene for girls in schools. There is no more effective tool for sustainable development than girls’ education Girls’ schooling is a tool for reducing poverty in their communities, and has economic benefits. According to the World Bank, each year of secondary education enables girls to increase their adult earnings by up to 25%. Education empowers girls and increases their ability to make decisions. An educated woman is much more likely to engage in civic and community activities, and to know and defend her rights. Getting girls into school will have social, demographic and intergenerational consequences. Educated girls become adult women with better family planning results. Educated women help to improve maternal and child health. Prenatal care increases with the level of education. An educated woman will pass on her knowledge to her children, who in turn will do the same and perpetuate the cycle. One educated woman can produce a generation of educated men and women. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), education reduced the rate of malnutrition in the world by 40% at the end of the twentieth century. Girls’ education is important in all areas and at all levels. Getting girls into school is, and will remain a sure route to sustainable development, with a new generation of men and women prepared to face the future with hope. Children’s education and quality of life are influenced by that of their mothers and fathers, but particularly that of their mothers. If we want to break this cycle of inequality, which is so persistent, we need to change the norms now. If the parents’ level of education determines that of their children, then it is in education that we need to invest if we aspire to a new generation of men and women. Educating girls means betting on the future.