2.1 INTRODUCTION
“Even the shadow of a man is
preferable to no man at all” that is how the International Ideas News (December
2002 edition), captured an Arabic commons saying. It is a statement of fact
that the Nigerian state, Africa and indeed the world over have been chaperoned
by the concept of patriarchy. In simple terms, patriarchy emerges from a
combination of latin and Greek terms. In latin, the word “Pater” means father,
while “Arche” means rule in Greek. Patriarchy thus connotes “male rule” Drawing
from this connection therefore, social anthropology notes that patriarchy depicts
a concept which the family and the entire socials system is centered around the
man, who has absolute authority over women, children, dependents and property.
It belabors the obvious to point out
that arising from the above assertion that families in most parts of the world
that have no male children feel unfulfilled. Most marriages in Africa that are
not able to produce male children face the danger of instability. This prelude
explains the position of the girl child in our society. It is definitely clear
to state that no society has achieved socio-economic, educational or political
equality between the girl child and the male. There remain pockets of
discriminatory policies that give the male child advantage over his sister.
However there are relative
differences between countries, with the gap between men and women generally
greater in the least developed states than in the economically development
countries. It is high time Radio programmes and parents got involved in the
campaign for the girl-child education and the various roles radio and parent
could play in eradicating or reducing discriminations against the girl-child
and ultimately improve girl child education in Nigeria.
2.2 Concept
of the Girl-Child Education
Within the contest of the Nigeria
environment, several definitions of the child exist. The National child Welfare
policy (1989) as cited by Ada, (2007) defines the girl-child as person below 14
years of age. Offorma, (2009) defines the girl child as a biological female
offspring form birth to eighteen (18) years of age. This period is made up of
infancy, child hood, early and late adolescence stages of development. The
girl-child is seen as a young female person, who would eventually grow into
woman and marry. She is conditioned to look after the young ones, the home and
the kitchen. She is taught to be obedient and to internalize the notion that
she is someone’s property and responsibility at childhood and her husband in
adulthood. The gender apartheid places the girl-child in disadvantage position.
Her potentials are suppressed and self actualization is not achieved. Education
is the process of providing information to a person to help him or her develop
mentally, socially, emotionally, spiritually, politically and economically (Offorma,2009).
Education is one of the fundamental rights of individuals Article 2b of the
Universal declaration of human rights, which was adopted by the united Nations
General Assembly as cited by Nwangwu (1976) stipulated that:
i. Everyone
has the right to education – this shall be made free in the elementary and
primary stages.
ii. Elementary
Education shall be made compulsory while technical and professional educational
shall be made generally available.
iii. Higher
education shall be equally accessible on the basis of merit.
iv. Parents
have a prior right to choose the kind of Education that shall be given to their
children.
Education is a vital tool for
empowerment that allows meaningful contributions to society. According to UNICEF,(2007),
girls’ education does not only bring the immediate benefit of empowering girls,
but is seen as the best investment in a country’s development. Education helps girls
to develop life skills including self confidence, the ability to participate
effectively in society and protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and other sexual
exploitations. UNICEF further asserts that girls’ education also helps in
cutting children and material mortality rates, constituting to National wealth
and controlling diseases and health status. Children of educated women are
likely to go to school consequently; this has exponential positive effects on education
and poverty eradication for generations to come. One very important aim of
every family is to raise healthy and productive individuals who will contribute
meaningfully to society. This can be achieved through the education of the
girl-child who is the mother of tomorrow.
2.3 Crucial
Issues in Girl-Child Education in Nigeria
Access to education: Access implies the right to education. It has to do with
the opportunity provided for the girl-child to be educated. It is observed that
many state and local governments do not take cognizance of the peculiarities of
the girl-child in the provisions for education for the citizenry (Ada, 2007).
Consequently, many girls do not have access to education. Girls’ access to
basic education especially in Ebonyi states has remained low. Only 20 percent
of women in Onicha Local government are literate and have attended school (UNICEF,2007).
Okeke, Nzewi and Njoku, (2008) identified child labour, poverty and lack of
sponsorship, quest for wealth, bereavement, truancy, broken home and engagement
of children as house helps, as factors inhibiting children especially girls’
access to education in Nigeria. One of the most prevalent impediments to the
girl-child education is child labour. Many families often send their daughters
out to work at a young age to get additional income needed to exist beyond
subsistence level and finance the education of male child.
British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) news (2006) reported that African societal view point favour boys over
girls because boys maintain the family lineage. That their mothers were not
educated is other reasons that make them feel that their daughters do not need
education. Some families justify the denial of girls of their right to
educating to prevent them from bringing shame to the family through early
pregnancy. Others believe that women who are not same level of education as the
men may not find marriage partners among their countrymen and may end p marring
foreigners. For such families, early marriage is best way to prevent this and
at the same time preserve traditions Offorma,( 2009).
2.4 School
Retention and Dropout
In Onicha local government, the
number of girls out of the school each year has risen form 20,000 in 1990 to
24,000 in 2002 Offorma, (2009). There exist wide variations across the local
government presenting the worst sceneries.
2.5 Efforts of government, non
governmental/agencies and radio at encouraging girl-child education
The Federal Governmental through the
Universal Basic Education (UBE), programme, is making effort at accelerating
girl-child education. The programme has made some progress increasing school
enrolment for girls in Onicha (Ndeokwelu,2010). In November, 2009, the UBE commission
(POWA) on child education and children with special need (Compass,2009). The United
Nations children Education fund (UNICEF) has also initiated several programmes
to accelerate girl-child education in the country. The “Strategy for
Acceleration of Girls’ Education in Nigeria” (SAGAN) was launched by UNICEF and
the federal Ministry of educating in July, 2003. SAGEN gave rise to girl child
to the Grils’ Education project (GEP) launched is December, 2004 and currently
under implementation. An evaluation of GEP is March, 2006 showed that Girls’
school enrolment is up by 15% and in GEP schools, actual girls attendance is up
by 25% (with 12000 more girls regularly attending school than before) and
gender gaps are about half of their previous level. To date, 900 schools is
Nigeria are getting direct support from (UNICEF,2007).
2.6 Girl-Child
Education and Radio-What Role?
Radios are derivative agencies. They
rise from particular needs within society and their types and functions reflect
the diversity within that society. The principal types are public, special,
academic and school studies.
Radios are agents of social
communication. They are vehicle which help to bridge the awareness gap among
members of the society. Barriers to girls’ education in Nigeria have been
identified as poverty, early marriage and teenage pregnancy, cultural and
religious misconceptions lack of models as well as teenage pregnancy and early
marriage.
2.7 The
Role of Radio
Public radios are established to
provide and create access to information to all members of its community and
beyond irrespective of age, sex, religions, ethnicity etc. Kargbo (2002) out
lines the functions of the public radio to include:
* To
support and re-enforcing programmes of adult and fundamental education.
* To
provide effective service for children and young people including requisite
services for schools.
* To
provide much needed information and reference serves.
* To promote and stimulate reading for
pleasure and recreation.
* To provide, here needed, adequate
services for special groups, the is women, language groups, the disadvantaged
etc.
Radio programmes, help to reduce or
eliminate barriers to girls-child education through public awareness campaigns.
Rural dwellers, rational and religious bigots need to be educated on the ills
of not sending their girls to school.
This
can be done through the following services:
1. Radio
programmes could organize public rallies in various communities, speaking to
the indigenes in their local dialects on the need to send their children to
school. This may also involve inviting important personalities and role models
to address both parents and children in the community on the importance of
education.
2. Awareness
campaigns to schools, addressing girls on the need to shun easily marriage and
teenage pregnancy in order to remain in school.
2.8. The
Role of the School Radio
Some of the reasons given for girls’
dropout of school include teenage pregnancy and lack of role models. The school
radio can play a role in dealing with these challenges. School radio programmes
services involve both availability and accessibility of Library facilities and
services to students and the willingness and ability of the students to use the
facilities and services.
The school radio programmes should
carryout the following function to encourage girl-child education.
1. It
should provide specialized and individualized services to girls. This implies
providing motivation aloud counseling services as for girls’, so as to awaken
and sustain their interest in education.
2. Inviting
authors and subject specialists for lecturers and talks on topics of interest
to girls.
3. Organizing
educative and entertaining film shows and documentaries on the ills of
illiteracy and lack of education, as well as the benefits of having a good education.
4. Inviting
female celebrities who may serve as role models to talk to the girls.
5. Work
with public radios, community workers and other relevant agencies sin executing
programmes geared towards encouraging girl-child education.
However, for Radio to effectively
carryout these functions, there is the need for adequate funding and
willingness of libraries to be committed to the cause of the girl-child
education. Public and school radio do not function in isolation, they depend on
their parent organizations/institutions for financial is experiencing economic
melt down. This has led to budget cuts especially in the education sector
Mordi,(2008). Consequently, radio would need to seek for funds from external
source sin order to execute planned programmes and ensure effective and
efficient service delivery. Such external sources of funds include
international and other non governmental agencies.
2.9 Issues in Girl-Child Education in
Nigeria- Implication for Library and Information
SUPPORT:
Girl-child education has become a
matter of concern to stakeholder sin Nigeria. This study examines the concept
of and crucial issues in girl-child education. It identifies social-cultural
patterns, religious misconceptions. Poverty, teenage pregnancy and early marriage
amongst others as factors militating against the girl child education. The
paper advocates that public and school libraries must begin to play relevant
roles and contribute to the eradication of discriminations against women. It
outlines the roles public and school libraries must play in order to improve
girl child enrollment in school as well as reduce school drop-out. In order to
effectively play their role, the study suggests that libraries should source
for funds form external agencies rather that depend only on their parent.
2.10 Nigeria’s
Strategy for Girls
Building on existing child friendly
school initiative which is supported by UNICEF, Nigeria has developed the
strategy for the Acceleration of Girls’ Education, which evolved. Into SAGEN+ and now being reinforced by the new Girls
Education Project (GEP). This is a substantial Joint undertaking by the Federal
Government of Nigeria. DFID and UNICEF to boost girls’ schooling in Northern
Nigeria and accelerate progress towards the MDGs, especially with respect to
gender equity.
2.11 Recent
Achievements and Impact
As a result of increasing government
commitment, greater awareness has been created nationwide on girls’ education
with the launch and dissemination of the SAGEN in JULY 2003 and a pledge by my
ministry to mainstream girls’ education in the EFA plan.
Some part in Onicha in Ebonyi State
have already promulgated edicts to support the promotion of girls’ education
for example in Eziga in Onicha Local government Area promulgated an edict against
the withdrawal of girls from schools, while Oshiri and Isu have removed
financial disincentives affecting girls’ enrolment in secondary schools. Those
who have dropped out as result of early marriages and/or teenage pregnancy are
encourage to return to school, as is the case with the women Day College in
Onicha in Onicha Local Government Area.
The effort of state government and
UNICEF in promoting the girl-child education initiative (AGENT) (2002-2004)
which was found by the Norwegian government, recorded remarkable progress in
terms of enrolment and retention. The AGEI Evaluation Retention (GER) and 80%
decrease in dropout rate for Girls’ in the (6) six plot primary schools
supported by the programme. The gender gap in states that benefited from the AGEI
reduced appreciate, for example Ukwawuu the gender gap fell form 41% to 38%,
which AGEI ensured that more communities assumed ownership of schools, through
increased vibrancy of schools mothers clubs, the tracking of school age
children not enrolled in schools, advocacy for HIV/AIDs protective behaviour,
and the abolition of harmful traditional practices.