UNESCO Report: Moroccan Girls Close Math Gap, Outperform Boys in Reading

The border separating girls and boys in Mathematics is about to disappear. UNESCO’s annual report on gender equality has analyzed data from 120 countries, including Morocco, in primary and secondary education. It emerges that for many years, boys have achieved better results than girls in mathematics. But these inequalities, according to the table, tend to gradually disappear.

In Morocco for example, girls outperform boys in reading by 10 percentage points. And if they manage to catch up in their level in mathematics, it would mean that awareness should be further accentuated on the abandonment of prejudices and stereotypes likely to affect learning outcomes. The report also calls for helping girls to realize their potential and not to discourage them.

According to the report, in middle-income and high-income countries, in secondary school, girls get significantly better results in science. But they are less likely to choose scientific careers. But in Morocco, more and more girls are getting involved in the world of science and technology, doing research in the scientific field. As evidenced by the awards won by girls in recent years in national, regional and international mathematics olympiads.

"More data needs to be collected, but recent publications have already helped to paint a near-global picture of gender inequalities in learning outcomes just before the pandemic. Girls outperform boys in reading and science and are catching up in mathematics. However, they are much less likely to be among the top performers in mathematics, due to persistent biases and stereotypes. We must ensure gender equality in learning and ensure that every learner realizes their potential," said Manos Antoninis, Director of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report.