Policy makers need to rethink the unique challenges facing boys and girls in different learning environments, write Tia Linda Zuze, Vijay Reddy, Mariette Visser and Lolita Winnaar AT SOME point, any national conversation about how to improve education will turn to the question of gender, with most of the focus being on the challenges that girls face at school.This is understandable given that boys and girls have been treated differently in the past and that girls still remain vulnerable to dropping out of the education system.But how well do these views reflect the current reality, and in our pursuit for greater opportunities for girls, have we inadvertently neglected the risk factors that boys may face?With the release of the 2014 matric results, some commentators have raised concerns about widening gender gaps in mathematics and science. A report published by the SABC on January 6 noted that boys achieved better results than girls in mathematics and physical science.