Let us start at the very core of this. In your experience, what kind of education actually empowers girls to take on leadership roles in sustainability? And what is the turning point for you?
I would say that the turning point really is when girls start asking the question why, and it is very important to stress on that because they need to start asking questions about why should things be done in a particular manner, why not the other way round, why do we follow this system, why not another system? And this may seem like a very simple thing to do, but it is actually a very complex process. And it happens when girls have access to quality education, and by quality education, you know, I am not saying it is limited to good desks, chairs, and access to computers — all of that is important, the infrastructure is important. But when I talk about quality education, it is really the education, which is underpinned by principles of equality and inclusion. And that is what is at the core of it. So at the British Council, our focus is on that. We work with various partners, government organisations and institutions to really strengthen the national education systems in ways that will provide that equity and access to girls where their education is concerned, and really improve their learning outcomes.
Of course, access to education is step one. But once girls are in the system, what are the invisible barriers they will face, especially when it comes to stepping into leadership, or taking ownership of climate issues?
There are so many barriers where to begin. Apart from the visible barriers, which we know we all face, these invisible barriers basically arise due to years and years of social conditioning, stereotyping and cultural norms, which kind of default the society to take decisions, which may not maximise the potential of girls or may not be in the best interest of girls.
You have spoken before about future-ready skills. In your view, what are the most critical skills young women need today to lead on sustainability? Are we talking technology, empathy or systems thinking, what is it that really matters?
I will break this thing into two parts. First part is the knowledge. And the second part really is the skills. So to begin with, I think girls need to be environmentally literate, have understanding about what is pollution, biodiversity, climate change, what are the eco-friendly measures that you can really adapt? What is green technology? And a lot of these concepts are really embedded in STEM education, that is science, technology, engineering and math education. And when people study concepts in STEM, that is where they start appreciating environment much more, you can do it through other subjects, too, but these concepts are deeply embedded in STEM education.
There is a lot of talk about girls being agents of change, but is there a risk that we are putting too much pressure on them for the problems they did not create? How do we balance inspiration with fairness?
I have a different take on this question. I do not think the burden is ever on any one gender. It is not a girl issue at all. The subject of environment and climate change and environment is a gender agnostic issue. It is an issue for girls, boys, men and women; it is non-binary. It is a societal issue. So I would say the burden is never on girls. I think what we have to do is encourage girls, maybe because they have a role to play in terms of doing the best when you have men and women equally in leadership positions in various organisations, including in the government, in sustainability and environmental organisations. You will see a different kind of decision-making process, which will be good for the future. So I think our role is to encourage women, but the burden is never, I think, just on girls. I do not think that is fair to any one gender. It is a society problem and we need to address it together.
