Decades past, training female children was not common. Parents preferred to give their female children into marriage than allow them to go to school. GLORIA IRABOR writes that the belief has changed.
The low exposure of girls to education is endemic and problematic to national development. Girls are taken as misfit among their male peers, they are only accepted and nurtured as mere property to be sold into marriage to eligible and ineligible suitors which in the long run subject them to personal and societal setback.
Education of girl-child is taken for negative transformation, inordinate ambition, in-way to materialism, promiscuity, disrespect for males and outright withdrawal from cultural beliefs and practices. Even when educated, the girl-child is found wanting in appropriate educational attainment which involves training of the mind, behaviour, character, physical and cognitive abilities.
Data available from United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) shows that over the years there has-been a wide margin in the disparity of girl-child and boy child exposure to education. The proportion is one-girl-child ratio two-boy child and one-girlchild ratio three-boy-child in more endemic states. Also the female primary net attendance is between 41.5 percent and 43.8 percent in more endemic states meaning that more than fifty percent of girls in the affected states do not go to school.
Educationists and social workers are of the view that if the foundational causes of the problem are not duly addressed efforts to tackle the problem could be undermined or yield minimal outcome.
According to The Chief of Education, UNICEF, in Nigeria, Mr. Terry Durnnian, the cultural and religious role of females exposes them to early marriage, inhibits them from school enrolment and continuation of education which entails that even when a girl-child enrols in school, she drops out at an early age for the purpose of marriage.
He said in situation where financial condition is responsible for low school enrolment, girl children are made to bear the brunt of the problem hawking and doing menial economic support for the family while the boy is attending school because of the cultural consideration that investment in girls’ education is poor investment and waste of resources.
He pointed out that education is a necessary tool for a girl child to discover herself worth and be in the self actualization of developmental goals to herself, family, immediate and extended society.
“Educating the girl child is a factor for population control, improved socio-economic growth, improved standard of living for her children, family and the community, fewer and controlled pregnancies, decrease in infant and maternal mortality. An educated girl becomes an educated woman, a better wife and a mother who is able to raise healthier children who are more likely to go to school” he said.
Mrs. Dideoluwa Obembe a writer and motivational speaker on the needs, duties and rights of the females said that religion as opium of the society is a factor to contend with as far as education of a girl-child is concerned. She said the misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the doctrine of a female submissiveness to her husband makes females easy targets in the hands of male counterpart and tempers with their aspirations and values.
She cautioned against placing so much emphasis on the rights of the girl-child without the prerequisite emphasis on the duties stressing that it is when she has the knowledge of her duties that she will be more able to identify and maintain her rights.
“That a female is expected to be submissive to her husband should not be a ticket to neglect the development of herself and future. Female have been proved as physiologically stronger than male, but are weaker in will-power. She can use her education to modify her mindset and all her weak areas so she can be able to discover and use her God given potentials instead of overdependence and counterfeiting on males”
Apart from religion and culture, schools have a fair share in entrenching the problem. By the practices, girls are exposed to intimidating learning atmosphere among her male peers, the boys are given more opportunities to ask and answer questions, have free will to use learning materials and are always given the chances and empowerment to lead groups while the girls are expected to yield and move along. Sometimes the females are enemies of themselves, owing to ignorance they assume the role of been at the forefront of working against their self development instead of upgrading it, they nurture and re-nurture younger female to orientate their minds in cultural rots instead of discarding them.
Mrs Joy Abiodun of Life Changers Club International said that the problem of family could be very burdensome because a female may get entangled in gender abuse in the course of trying to have herself worth and aspirations. “When there are such occurrences many females are not aware of help available to save them and if the help comes to them, they brand it women liberation and insubordination to husband so they try to avoid harnessing the opportunity to solve their problem”
She advised females to rise to the challenges, demands and ensure that their impact is felt in all areas of life and aspirations.
At the meantime, the concerted efforts of individuals and groups may not have yielded the expected result of monumental growth in girl child education and recognition in all spheres of life but are identified as steps in the right direction. Opinion poll on the issue shows that parental and self motivation of female towards attaining education can be by mere exposure to female who are excelling in their profession, skills and leadership at whatever level. The creation of the office of the first lady at national and state levels, increased participation of females in politics and other developmental goals, seeing career and established females within the environment and on air are necessary motivation to a girl child in her desires and aspirations towards attaining education.
Several females have been able to use this to scale through any type of hurdle to emerge from obscurity and ignorance towards attaining education.
The Assistant Director, child development department of the ministry of women affairs and social development Mallam Musa Aliyu said girl-child education is a serious issue to the ministry because it is an integral part of the instrument to end child marriage in the country.
He said the national strategy to end child marriage has been launched and would be taken to the various states to facilitate a national response to the problem and its associated consequences.
