CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
In the traditional Nigeria society,
there exists the degenerate believe that women are second class citizens (Enejere,1991).
Woman is considered as a man’s property or pleasure object. She is also
considered as a “Machine” meant for producing children. This situation has
resulted in unfair treatment of women especially with regards to education. The
average rural Nigeria parent would rather invest in the education of son rather
than the daughter (Ada,1992). Enejere, (1991) further avers that gender
inequality in Nigeria is promoted by religious and communal customs. Young
girls particularly in Northern Nigeria are denied the benefit of education.
This has grave consequences for both the individuals and the society at large.
Education is the process through
which individuals are made functional members of the society (Ocho,2005).
According to a Agbo, (2012) in a radio programme “mum and mum to be” education means to be domestic, growth, and
contribution. Offorma, (2009) said that education is a process through which
the young acquires knowledge and realizes her potentialities and uses them for
self-actualization.
Education has been described as the
most important aspect of human development, a key to a successful living, especially
girl child education (Michael,2011). Denying the girl-child access to education
implies making her a dysfunctional member of the society. Statistics show that
many girls are not enrolled in school. The global figure for our school
children is estimated at 121 million, 65 million are girls living in
sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria UNICEF,(2007), Action Aid International (AAIN) cited by Kiki (2010)
reported that, not until recently, in a school of 150 students in Northern
Nigeria, only 2-3 students are girls. This trend has minimally improved with
the introduction of sharia judicial law system (Islamic Law) in most states in
Northern Nigeria. The advert of the law necessitated the creation of separated
schools for girls. Even at that, girls in this region do not have the rights to
choose education. Kiki (2010) cited an example in Jega Local Government Area of
Kebbi state in the Northern part of Nigeria where females were not allowed to
go to school until recently when the local Government council chairman enacted
a bye law, making female education compulsory.
In order to improve girls’ enrolment
in schools, government and non government agencies have initiated various programmes.
The federal ministry of Education and United nations children Education fund
(UNICEF) have been leading the campaign for girl-child education in Nigeria
with some measure of success.
Unity FM, Abakaliki, also, contributes to
enrolment of the girl-child with a programme title “mum and mum to be”.
According to Oko(2012) she sited that a girl child should be educated because
she equally have her right in the family and once the education is denied from
her, she cannot afford to defend her family and challenges in her nation. Edeh (2012).
“mum and mum to be” Commented that without a qualify training, the girl-child
will endangered and it will affect the next generation because they are blind
and nothing new will be known to them.
Obugado (2012) in his commentary in
Radio Nigeria Unity fm make it known that a girl-child needs education. He went
further indicating that if a girl child is deprived of education the girl-child
will then engaged in blockmoulding, hawking, and learning of trades, begging,
truck pushing, working in farms with empty stomach.
Education is a vital tool for
empowerment that allows meaningful contributions to society. Girls’ education does
not only bring the immediate benefit of empowering girls, but are seen as the
best investment in a country’s development. Education helps girls to develop
essential life skills including self confidence, the ability to participate
effectively in society and protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and other sexual
exploitations. UNICEF,(2007) further asserts that girls’ education also helps
in cutting children and maternal mutability rates, contributing to National
wealth and controlling diseases and health status. Agbo (2012) also said that
without the parent giving their girl -child a sound education she will remain
at the lower state. He used Mrs, Ukamaka, Egwu, wife of the former Governor of
Ebonyi State for example in the sense that, if not that she was trained by her
educated mother, she wouldn’t have been the a governor’s wife instead, she would have got married to a palm wine
taper.
Oko, (2012)
also commented that home training of a girl-child by her parent is the best
education any family can give to their child. She sited an example of a young
lady who got married and put to birth and she did not know how to handle the
baby or feed the baby. She said that every woman must be educative in order to
know her responsibility at any given time.
This paper here, examines the
various roles parent and radio programmes could play in eradicating or reducing
discriminations against the girl child and ultimately improve girl -child
education in Nigeria.
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
In most part of the country today,
Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State in particular, women are educationally
backward in comparism with their male counterpart. This ugly situation has
defiled all government effort since independence to see to the improvement of
women’s education.
In spite of all the various effort
towards improving the literacy level among women in Onicha LGA the result
obtain form recent research and survey shows that much has not been achieved.
One outstanding reason that accounts for low women participation in education
in Onicha LGA, results from phobia being developed by Onicha LGA people towards
women’s education. such can be seen in these ways-parents preference for
females house help, early marriage and attendant withdrawal of teenage brides
form school.
From studies conducted on issues
relating to women’s education, it is obvious that the much-expected economic,
social and political emancipation of the nation cannot be achieved without
improved women literacy. This research is calmed out to identify the problem
and possible ways of creating improved woman literacy level in onicha LGA and
Ebonyi State.
Various cultures see formal
education of women as unwarranted exposure and therefore antithetical to
upholding their cultural values which is apprehensive of creating opportunities
for women to rub shoulders with men. The question now is how do parents who are
products of these cultures, religions and environments perceive the education
of their Girl child? In view of the various campaigns encouraging giving both
boys and girls equal educational opportunity do parents still have the tendency
to discriminate against their girl children?
To what extend does poor financial
status makes the parents to pay priority attention to their male children over
their female counterparts in terms of sponsoring them to obtain formal
education: What of the unduly held belief that family sizes determines the
extent women who hail form such families will obtain formal or western in
education in line with the tendency that the male children would be considered
first.
1.3 Objectives
of the Study
In reference to the stated problems,
it aims and objectives of this research are;
1. To
know the attitude of radio and parents towards the education of the girl-child
2. To
know if radio programmes enlighten girls and women on the need to improve their
education.
3. To
find out if some programmes some radio stations offer have any effect on the
girl child.
4. To
discover if the financial background of parents affect girl-child education.
5. To
know if radio programmes influence the attitude of girl child towards
education.
1.4 Significance
of the Study
The study will be significant when
completed in the following areas:
Through the use of radio, the
finding of the study will prove information that will serves as a guide on how
to eliminate problems hindering girls participation in adult literacy
programme.
This research work is significant from
the point of view of the fact that its findings would definitely be useful in
support of the continuous campaign for parents to change their over-all attitude
towards the discrimination against the education of the girl child.
Over all, the research work serve as
a reference material for other researcher who will like to carryout their
research on related fields.
1.5 Research
Questions
1. How
does radio programmes enlighten girls and women on the need to improve their
education.
2. How does
the programme aired in some radio stations affect the girl child?
3. Does
the financial background of parents affect girl-child education?
4. Does
radio programmes influence the attitude of girl-child towards education.
1.6 Research Hypothesis
H1 Radio
programmes enlighten girls and women on the need to improve their education.
H0 Radio
programmes do not enlighten girl and women in the need to improve their
education.
H2 Some
programmes offered by some radio stations have effect on the girl-child.
H0 some programmes offered by some radio
station does not have any effect on the girl child
H3 The
financial background of parent, affect girl-child education.
H0 The
financial background of parent, does not affect girl-child education.
H4 Radio
programmes influence the attitude of the girl-child towards education.
H0 Radio
programmes do not influence the attitude of the girl-child towards education.
1.7 Conceptual Definition
Radio-The transmission and reception of
electromagnetic waves of radio frequency especially those carrying out sound
messages.
Parent – (from Latin: Parents = parent) is a caretaker
of the offspring in
their own species.
According to the oxford dictionary a
parent is a person’s father or mother. But they must have two biological
parent. Biological parents consists of the male who sired the child and the
female who gave birth to the child.
Girl -- A girl is any female human from birth
though childhood, adolescence to attainment of adulthood.
Education----
In its broadest, general sense. Is the means through which the aims and habits
of a group of people lives in from one generation to the next. It is also the
formal process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated.
According to Dewey (1916) Education
is life it involves the transmission of rues knowledge and skills required for
living (Life skill).
According to the oxford advanced
dictionary defines education as systematic training and instruction (especially
the young in the schools).
Girls’ education can be seen as
various ways of transferring communicating of these rules, knowledge and skill
acquired for effective living in the society to girls.
This study the term “girls
education” is applied in its. Communicative sense in learning. Messages are
transferred from one person to another. There is the question to who transfers
knowledge to the other, the educator’s transfers to the girl
Operational Definition
Radio:-
Cognitive radio (CR) devices can sense, detect, and monitor the surrounding radio
frequency (RF) conditions including interference, assess frequency availability
and reconfigure their own operating characteristics to best match those
condition.
Parents:- They take care of their children and
provide their needs.
Girl:-
she is the machine meant for producing children.
Education:-
A process of training and instruction especially of children and young people in
schools, colleges etc. which is designed to give knowledge and develop skills.
1.8 Scope
of the study:
Scope of the study: the study will
only be limited to Onicha local government Area in Ebonyi State. The blue print
on girl-child education will serve as a reference frame work that has to do
with the targeted population.
Specifically there should be
randomly selected female student institutions and radio programmes that is also
needful in Onicha local Government like “every woman” “mum and mum’s to be”
which as well “Comprises illiterate girls as well as girls’ adult education
programme will be incorporate in the study other individuals who are indirectly
involved in girls’ educational programmes for rural girls’ and model
educational centers.
1.9 Limitations
of the Study
Certain constraints definitely
affect the standard of this research work Firstly, was absence of standard
library and means of getting information materials on the topic.
There is also the problem of limited
time frame. A research of this nature in view of the research questions
presented above requires a reasonable time, to enable the researcher carryout
exhaustive work.
Finance of course is an obvious constraint,
collection of the necessary data and reading out forthright respondents, as
well as sourcing the required materials will required materials will require
some money vis-Ã -vis my very limited funds.
Lastly, exigencies of duty that is
my official assignment as teacher will make it somehow difficult to pay full or
adequate attention to this research work. All these envisaged constraints and
limitations are no doubts source of worry to the researcher.