The educational system in Egypt suffers from Lack of Gender-sensitive policies and protection mechanisms capable of eliminating all forms of GBV including violence against girls in schools. Gender-based violence in Egyptian primary and secondary schools is a phenomenon that has affected millions of children, families and communities and led to the aggravation of already existing phenomena among girls like school drop-out.

According to a research study issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics on the status of Egyptian girls in education, the ratio of girls' drop- out of school especially in preparatory stage has increased from 2% during 2006/2007 to 4.1% during 2016/2017.

Violence against girls in schools finds it root causes not only in the inherited norms and traditions but in the deep-rooted attitudes and practises of the educational cadres that contradicts with the principles of equity and equality (known as the hidden curricula) also. Such attitudes and practises, which have contributed to shaping the public awareness on what is gender and its relation to authority, have been reinforced by the lack of gender-sensitive policies and protection mechanisms also; some fact that has repeatedly been noted by nearly all researchers, reporters and developmentalists.

Hence, the project “Partners for Future” constitutes a response to the existing gender gaps at educational policies’ level, especially when it comes to combating violence against girls in schools. The rule “CSOs’ full engagement in planning and monitoring educational policies and holding duty-bearers accountable is crucial to promoting gender equality and equity in education” forms the basis on which this project has been built.

The project aims to increase the Egyptian Coalition for Education’s influence in planning, monitoring and giving feedbacks on educational gender policies and protection mechanisms capable of eliminating violence against girls in schools. The achievement of this objective requires the coalition to work on the achievement of the following outcomes:

1. The Egyptian Coalition organizations are empowered to get engaged in the educational policy dialogue;
2. Community support is enhanced for the Egyptian Coalition for Education by increasing the representation of feminist and youth organizations from the remote areas;
3. Mutual learning and experiences between the Egyptian coalition and the international and regional partners enhanced and
4. The Egyptian coalition is actively engaged in a CSOs/governmental policy dialogue aimed at increasing the space imparted for CSOs to participate and educational policies’ planning and monitoring, mainstreaming SDG4 into educational laws and policies and creating policies and protection mechanisms to eliminate violence against girls in schools.

Main strategies adopted by the project include: building the capacities of the coalition to get engaged in educational policy dialogues, enhancing mutual learning and experience share between the coalition and relevant regional and international stakeholders, advocacy and social accountability, media lobbying and community moblization.