Puja Kapai Speaks at the UN Forum on Minority Issues

Puja Kapai joined a panel of experts on the issue of minority language education and its impact on equal access to education and the implementation of SDG4. The Forum was a two-day event held in Geneva at the United Nations on 28 and 29 November 2019. 

     As part of the proceedings chaired by Anastasia Crickley, former Chair of the UN Committee on the Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Astrid Thors, former OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Kapai presented on the issue of minority language learning and its impact and implications for women and girls in attaining equal access to quality education in diverse societies. Building on my work on equality issues in education and disparate impact of particular policies on minority groups, Kapai drew on research data to demonstrate the indispensability of an intersectional framework to understand the impact of language education policies on minority women and girls. Kapai highlighted how the use of this analytical framework in understanding and evaluating language policies in the education system brings into view the hidden barriers which disproportionately impact minority girls in terms of their access to education, their drop-out rates and their prospects for academic achievements on par with others. More information is available on the WSRC website.