Final answer:
Education for girls is essential as it improves child health, reduces fertility rates, and enhances productivity in agriculture and other sectors, leading to a multitude of benefits for economic growth and societal well-being.
Step-by-step explanation:
The education of girls is a crucial development investment for a multitude of reasons. Notably, it leads to improved child health, as educated mothers are more likely to ensure that their children are nourished and receive necessary health care such as immunizations.
It leads to reduced fertility, with economic research indicating that for every additional year of schooling women receive, there tends to be a reduction in the number of children they have, which can also decrease the mortality rates related to childbirth. Furthermore, considering that women do much of the work in agriculture, education can enhance their productivity and sustainability practices in this sector.
Therefore, the answer is (d) all of the above, as education empowers women, which has a ripple effect of benefits that extend to health, economic growth, and societal well-being.