Musa Umaru Yar ’ Adua , GCFR , flagged off his National Campaign on access , while the Federal Minister of Education also launched the Roadmap for the Nigerian Education sector , which includes accessibility , equity and quality assurance especially for young women .
The then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that in Africa , when families have to make a choice of educating either a girl or a boy child , due to limited resources , it is always the boy that is chosen to attend school . In Africa , many girls are prevented from getting the education entitled to them because families often send their daughters out to work at a younger age so that they can get the additional income they may need to exist beyond subsistence level , and finance education for boys .
Through a research conducted in five different communities , I have found that among a random interaction with about 60 street children on the streets of Accra , Ghana , about 46.7 % of them attributed their inability to attain formal education to weak financial conditions where as 16 % were out of school as result of teenage pregnancy . 10 % dropped out of school because of the nature and structure of the educational system and equally 10 % were out of school because of harsh treatments from school authorities . Surprisingly , 3.3 % simply did not believe in education as the key to a better life .
Another contributing factor to the challenges of girls ’ education is the belief systems common in African societies . Socio-cultural beliefs have extensively influenced parents not to even believe in girls ’ education . For some societies , it is preferable to keep their girls home to take care of sick parents and relatives who may be battling with diseases such as HIV-AIDS . According to Guttman — a UNESCO courier journalist — customs , poverty , fear , and violence are the reasons why girls still account for 60 % of the estimated 113 million out-of-school children , and majority live in sub-saharan Africa and South Asia .
As a strong advocate for girls , here are some of my proposed solutions amidst the challenges :
First and foremost , it is very sad and heartbreaking that the vast majority of school-aged girls in sub-Saharan Africa are not enrolled in secondary school . This relatively high costs of education are acting as a major hindrance for poorer parents . Ultimately , if parents are empowered and governments create enough jobs , certainly there would be resources available for parents to fund education not only for their boys but also their girls .
Secondly , I recommend renewed collective action for advancing girls ’ education in hotspots around the world , especially in about 80 countries where progress on girls ’ education has stalled . We recognize the powerful contribution that girls and women themselves can make to achieve this . We should also try to enlighten ourselves and stay away from illogical socio-cultural , customs and traditions that have the potential of misleading societies . Last but not least , I recommend that there is focus on systemic reform with a gender lens . Ultimately , the best approach for helping girls get educated is to ensure governments have strong educational systems . Once that enables all children to access good schools and quality learning opportunities , then girls can be empowered to go to school . Good schools must be places where girls and boys alike are given the opportunity to thrive and grow . There is a need for an educational system where good schools are a reality , including marginalized girls which necessitate systemic reforms in many of the countries where they are left behind .
About the Author
Gadri Pericles is a 19-year-old student at African Leadership Academy in Honeydew , Johannesburg .
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