A SURVEY OF THE FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST FEMALE EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOL
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
There was a census that was taken with as aim of getting the proportion of illiteracy between men and women. It was discovered that the ratio was of 9:1 that is nine illiterate women to one man. Prior to the above findings a young researcher by name Osayogie O. (2002) did attest the reasons for this with an acronyms-WEEK meaning.
W – Women
E – Education
E – End in the
K – Kitchen
According to Osayogie (2002), “the parents of old did believe that whatsoever investment as per western education done on a female is a waste since the same females are going to end up in their husband kitchen. This mentality thus affected girls (females) going to school as it all ends up having 99% (ninety-nine percent) of the female gender being a full time illiterate.
With education as an instrument of propagating the values of the society and with the relative success of woman in almost all professions and governmental post, societal activities vis-avis, parent have completely changed to granting female equal social and education right. In the view of Ogwuozo (1992) and Nwabunwene (2000), the persistent imbalance and hindrance to female education stem primarily from:
1. Perception of parents and society as to what should constitute the actual role of women in the society.
2. Parent’s favourite investment on the education of males who will perpetuate the family name rather than their daughters.
3. Inadequate education resources especially in the rural areas. With this the students are cut-off from using educational facilities and services (both human and non human) such as the library, laboratories and guidance services that result into high failure and drop out most especially of the female students.
4. Curriculum content not fully taught to students, which work against their enthusiasm for entry the university to read specialized or professional courses.
5. The labour market and the family size.
In addition, Osayogie (2000) did argue that parents in Nigeria do believe male children are better of than female children, the reason for this, they say: the male children extends the family traits as the family name4 dies not, but the female children gets married and then starts answering the husbands name, with regard to this they believe educating the male child lead the family name to educational stability. The need to give attend to the education of women and girls in our country is not only for them to discover themselves, but because of the increase contribution which education will enable them to make to the economic, social and political development of the nation. In the world of Obe (1971) women’s potential contribution towards their societies may be summarized under three headings these are home making, professional work, and public life.
First, as homemakers, a woman can by knowledge, skill and energy enhance the level of living in her own home. She can improve the nutritional content of the family means by better understanding of deities. She can add to the comfort and amenities of her house. She can improve family health by better hygiene and childcare, she can male clothes, grow better and more varied crops in her garden or plot. Above all, she as an educated mother which can understand better and contribute to the schooling which her children receive.
Secondly, she can learn to fill the jobs badly needed in her country, where skills are in short supply, teaching, medicine, nursing, secretarial work, social works, mechanical, clerical etc. the number of female professionals is on the increase, women who had the opportunity to lead in various establishment and are still leading have no been proven to perform below their male counterparts. Nigeria as a country can boast of her illustrious daughters such as professor Grace Allele Williams (the first female vice chancellor in Nigeria) and a lot of other women of her class.
Thirdly, there is a civil contribution to be made by women. In some countries, women have made a particular notable contribution to public life. Countries such as Britain, Indian and Israel, which have had women prime ministers and the scattering of other countries which have women ambassadors, women members of legislators, ministers and some paramount chiefs. It is of cour5se, not only at these high levels that women have a part to play, but lower down the line in the community below to.
Women’s emergence from the home is often first of all into some kind of community organisation for women’s association fro sharing of mutual interest and social occasions such group may be feminist in intention but quite often they are equally concerned with the sharing of knowledge or efforts on topics of common local on domestic interest.
In this regards some prospects of women education can be said to be very numerous, though some includes:
1. Enhancing the women to function effectively in the modern economic systems.
2. It makes them stable and pleasant even when under stress.
3. It equips women with self-confident self-esteem and a desire for respect and accuracy.
4. It makes them understand complex issues associated with modern times.
1.2STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
This study is specially concerned with many and varied problems of the female (factors militating female education in Egor Local Government Area).
a. Do poverty or economical constraints serve as a factor militating against female education?
b. What are the cultural belief towards female education.
c. Do the government encourage female education.
d. What are the perception of the general public towards female education?
e. How does early marriage influence female education?
f. What is the reflection of illiterate female in the society?
g. How far has the essence of female education attained.
h. What is the percentage of female in school?
1.3RESEARCH QUESTIONS
To guide the research the following questions were posed by the researcher:
1. What are the factors that are affecting female education?
2. Do poverty or economical constraints affect female education?
3. Does early marriage affects female education?
4. Is there still discrimination in our society about female educational life?
1.4 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
Due to the mentality of the general public female have being denied the right of education as such bring about the alarming rate of illiterate mother, females or girls in the society at large. Attempts would be made to identify the factors militating against female education in Egor Local Government Area and as such proffer reasonable and translating solutions to these problems.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
It is expectancy that findings from this study will help in the follows areas.
1. Identify how poverty or economic standard influence female education and their belief positively?
2. Find the cultural belief towards female education and their influence the belief positively?
3. Encourage government and voluntary organisation to support/encourage female education.
4. Identify the prospects of female education proffering ways as which it can be attained.
5. Identify the influence of early marriage on female education.
6. Identify the perception of the general public towards female education?
7. Find the reflection of the illiterate female in the society.
8. Identify the importance of female education.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Ø Acronyms: These are words formed from the initial letter of a name e.g. NASA meaning materials Aeronautics and space administration.
Ø Counter-Part: A person on thing exactly like, or closely corresponding to another.
Ø Curriculum: Course of study in a school.
Ø Education: According to Omiegbe (1998) “Education itself is the development of an individual through training transmission of what is worthwhile to the point that he is able to fit into his environment and contribute to the best of his ability, to the well being of the society.
Ø Illiterate: Adjective with little or no education, unable to read or write showing such ignorance. Mutual: Adjective (of love, friendship, respect, etc) shared exchange equally, (of feelings, opinions etc) held in common with others.
Ø Society: Social way of living customs etc of a civilized community system whereby people live together in organized communities.