DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has announced a new government-wide initiative to help millions of girls around the world attend and stay school.

His wife, Michelle, will also visit Japan and Cambodia in a few weeks to promote it.

Obama says more than 60 million girls worldwide do not attend school.

He says every girl has value and that not getting an education limits their advancement opportunities and makes them more vulnerable to societal ills.

Under what’s being called “Let Girls Learn,” a range of existing government programs will be tied together under a single, coordinated strategy.

Separately, the Peace Corps and Mrs. Obama’s office will work together on a new program to highlight community-based solutions to help girls attend and finish school.