Education of girls vital to moving up the trade value chain

Girls’ education has a particularly high payoff for Asia-Pacific countries looking to allocate their public funds efficiently. Educating girls creates direct economic benefits as they become more productive both in the workplace and at home, and increase their labour force participation. Indirect benefits also lead to economic growth in developing countries. The spillover effects of girls’ education on their families as well as their children’s education and human capital, speed up the development of a more skilled labour force. As wage levels increase, these skills become important to export-based industries