Zambia is a large, landlocked, resource-rich nation with a sparsely populated
area in the middle of Southern Africa. It shares its border with eight
countries: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi,
Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

Its strategic location allows a larger regional market for goods and services. Zambia is also one of the world's youngest countries by median age and is currently undergoing a significant demographic shift. Zambia's population is largely urban.

With a rapid growth rate of 2.7% per year, which reflects the country's relatively high fertility rate, its population is projected to be around 19.6 million in 2021. As a matter of fact, as the population is expected to double in the next 25 years, it will add a lot of pressure with regard to the demand for jobs, health care, and other social services.

Additionally, poverty rates in rural Zambia continue to be unrelentingly high.
While 78 per cent of rural people in Zambia live in poverty, adolescent girls
and women are disproportionately affected, especially concerning their
educational opportunities.

Despite nearly complete primary education coverage in the nation, only about 40 per cent of students of school age were enrolled in secondary education, and only a tiny portion of it is women. It's believed that two out of every five girls in Zambia get married when they're still young, which limits their access to education and puts their health at risk through early pregnancy.

Based on this knowledge, the Zambian government made it a priority to help
more girls and women reach their potential through education. And to
transform girls' education, Zambian authorities took inspiration from the
"Mukhymantri Balika Cycle Yojan" or CM bicycle scheme launched in Bihar,
India. As per the World Bank data, the most critical determinant of primary
school enrolment is the proximity of a school. Indeed, evidence shows that
the farther children are from school, the less likely they are to attend. And
this is precisely the challenge the scheme has addressed.

Zambia tried to learn from the scheme of Bihar and, around May 2022,
started implementing a similar model. As per the scheme, every participating
schoolgirl would receive money to buy a bicycle to commute to school after
passing a particular grade. The major objective of this programme is to stop
any girl child from dropping out of school because of school distance. As per
the guidelines, each candidate will be given some cash money to purchase a
cycle. To ensure the money has been utilised, the candidates must submit the
purchase receipt at the school office.

And within one year of intervention, Zambia managed to reduce girls'
absenteeism by 27 per cent. The average travel time to schools and late
school arrivals decreased by 35 and 66 per cent, respectively. Additionally, as
per a survey, the bicycle programme improved girls' test results and gave
them a sense of control over their life. Now that they have a more positive
self-image, they are aiming higher.

Finally, the girls also expressed their desire to wait until a suitable age before getting married and having children. In sub-Saharan Africa, girls have a challenging time travelling the distance to school. The fundamental issue facing girls—the countless miles of unpaved roads between their homes and schools—is not resolved by lowering tuition and offering conditional cash transfers to families who enroll their daughters in school.

According to a World Bank study, more than one-fourth of primary school students live more than two kilometres from the closest school, and secondary schools are frequently hours away for students living in rural areas. It is expected that many developing countries would adopt similar models and work towards attaining an inclusive society.

Indeed, six more African countries have also started implementing similar projects. In addition, the UN also endorsed the concept. The success in Zambia can be attributed to the fact that it successfully addressed the fundamental problems that many adolescent girls in rural Zambia confront, including the dangers associated with going to school by walking, the long walking distances to the schools, and engrained cultural inhibitions that discourage walking to school.

The Sustainable Development agenda, adopted by UN Member States in 2015, set a 2030 deadline for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. As gender equality and equitable quality education are interconnected, achieving one without the other is impossible. Thus, without a solid commitment for girls' education, gender equality will remain an unrealised
goal. The time is apt to act and invest in women and girls.

Women's education is essential for a just society as well as to facilitate social transformation. Girls are potent agents of socioeconomic change.
Undoubtedly, the adage "teach a woman, and you teach a nation" captures
well the significance of women's education for any society. Despite significant
progress in reducing the gender gap in education, several obstacles still
prevent women in developing nations. Hopefully, India and African countries
can lead together to create a gender-equal society.