The single most important factor preventing girls from attending and achieving in school is gender discrimination. Girls and boys both have hurdles to overcome. For girls the hurdles are , for the most part, higher and more frequent-simply because they are girls.

Family poverty is also a barrier to education. Sending children to school may result in the loss of their income or help at home. The school may charge fees that the family knows it cannot meet or require a uniform that a family cannot afford. And often, when a choice is to be made between sending a girl or a boy to school, the family will put its scarce resources into the education of the boy, believing that it is a better long-term investment.

The legal frameworks around education can be weak, and may put girls at a particular disadvantage.

-Compulsory and/or “free” education laws may not exist, or may not be enforced.

- Early marriage and pregnancy are widespread in many countries , yet most have laws and policies that prohibit pregnant girls from attending school or returning to school after the birth of their child.

- Worldwide , an estimated 50 million children are not registered at birth, and the majority are female. In many countries , the lack of a birth certificate can prevent admission to school or block eligibility to take examinations.

The playing field id uneven from the start. Learning does not begin on a child’s first day at school. The early years of a child’s like are critical to his or her development. Yet discrimination against girls can begin even before birth , when female fetuses are more frequently aborted than those thought to be male . In the early years of childhood, girls often receive less care and attention. And more often than not, there are different expectations as boys and girls grow and develop, which is a significant concern since low expectations are tied to low achievement.

Issues of safety and security in the around school particularly affect girls.