Barriers to Girl Child Education in Africa -By Ezinwanne Onwuka

Children in Africa face many barriers to education, but the stakes are especially high for girls. Girls remain more likely to be permanently excluded from education and at a higher risk of being left behind.

While education for boys has the perception of being as vital for them to provide and assume the leadership role for their family, it is regarded as a wasted investment on the girl child.

This view stems from the belief that she is often expected to be under a man who will cater for her needs. And in a case where she does end up eventually providing for her family, she will most certainly earn less than her male counterparts because of the gender wage gap.

Today, the evidence that educating the girl child creates healthier, wealthier, fairer, and more stable societies is overwhelming, yet the statistics of out-of-school girls in Africa is alarming.

Why isn’t every girl getting a quality education despite the aggressive campaign and advocacy for girl child education? The barriers, particularly for girls in most African countries, are wide-ranging and complex but I will focus on two major ones.

The first and foremost barrier to girl child education is gender norms. Typically, girls are asked to fetch the water, take care of their younger siblings and to help their mothers cook and clean. Due to this, girls may not have the opportunity to attend school because their contributions to the household are valued more than their personal education.

In other words, adult responsibilities, like taking care of sick parents or babysitting siblings, tend to fall on girls. They spend more time performing household chores — including cooking, cleaning, and collecting water and firewood — than boys. This forced domestic work has the tendency to create low self-esteem in girls and a lack of interest in education.

Early or child marriage is another contributing factor. Child marriage, the marriage of a child under the age of 18, happens all over the world but occurs disproportionately in Africa. And when girls are forced to marry young, they are often pulled out of school at a very critical age in their development.

The transition from primary to secondary education is crucial for girls to gain the life skills they need to escape the cycle of poverty. Yet, this is often the same time that many girls leave school due to early marriages or pregnancy.

African parents give out their daughters for child marriages for various reasons. Some believe they are protecting their children from harm or stigma associated with having a relationship outside of marriage, but child brides who miss out on education are also more likely to experience early pregnancy, malnourishment, domestic violence, and pregnancy complications.

Additionally, for families experiencing financial hardship, child marriage reduces their economic burden, but it ends up being more difficult for the girl child to gain financial independence without education.

As explained, stereotypical gender norms, and early marriage are the key factors that contribute to girls missing out on education. Consequently, in African cultures where these expectations are the norm, girls’ education may be lower on a family’s list of priorities.

This reality calls for redoubling the efforts to ensure that education is equitable.

Ezinwanne Onwuka, Cross River State.

ezinwanne.dominion@gmail.com

+2348164505628