INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL PERSPECTIVES ON GIRL-CHILD EDUCATION (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The importance of education to human beings cannot be over emphasized. Education is a human right that should be accorded to all human beings solely by reason of being human. The relationship between education and development is well established such that education is a key index of development. It has been documented that schooling improves productivity, health and reduces negative features of life such as child labour as well as bringing about empowerment (UNESCO, 2010). This is why there has been a lot of emphasis particularly in recent times for all citizens of the world to have access to basic education. The importance and linkage of education to the development of any society is well known. It is in recognition of this importance that the international community and governments allover the world have made commitments for citizens to have access to education. (Subrahmanian 2012).
The term ‘girl-child’ refers to a female between the ages of 6-18 years (Mukhtar, L., Mohd. Asraf, Ratnawati and Shittu and Ahmed Tajudeen, 2011). The National Child Welfare Policy (2009) as cited by Ada (2001) defines the girl-child as a female below 14 years of age. Offorma (2009) defines it as a biological female offspring from birth to eighteen (18) years of age. This period is made up of infancy, childhood, early and late adolescence stages of development. The girl-child is seen as a young female person who would eventually grow into a woman and marry. The gender apartheid places the girl-child in a disadvantaged position, where her potentials are suppressed and self-actualization is not achieved. Offorma (2009), She therefore, becomes a victim of a pre-existing socio-cultural male chauvinism. Furthermore, on the account of gender, girl-children are subjected to all multiple forms of oppression, exploitation and discrimination.
Girl-child education has then become a major issue of concern in most developing countries of the world today, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where a large number of young girls do not attend school. According to UNICEF (2007), as cited by Grace (2010), the global figure for out-of-school children is estimated to be 121 million, out of which 65 million (approximately 53.8%) were girls and over 80 percent of these girls live in sub-Saharan Africa.
