FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST THE ENROLMENT AND RETENTION OF GIRL-CHILD STUDENTS IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KADUNA STATE

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the factors militating against the enrolment and retention of girl-child students in Junior Secondary Schools in Kaduna State. Six research objectives were postulated and six null research hypotheses were tested. The study population included all the Junior Secondary Schools in the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State totalling 58,836. Using Krejcie and Morgan Table, 375 respondents were sampled from six Local Government Area; two each from the three (3) senatorial zones in the State. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Cronbcah method of reliability was used to determine the reliability of the instrument which was found to be . 815. Descriptive statistics involving item frequencies, mean, standard deviation and standard error were used to answer the research questions. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test all the six null hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Significant relationships were found between the dependent variable and each of the six independent variables. It was recommended that government should keep updated records of enrolment and retention of the girl-child in all schools, and schools should be built in all localities for easy access, government should enact laws against removal of girl-child from schools for marriage or any reason before completion of school and parents should consider their economic capability in planning their family size. It was concluded that religious leaders and traditional leaders have big responsibility of directing and encouraging their subjects on the importance of girl-child education.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1        Background to the Study

Education has been recognised as the most important factor used by man to conquer his environment and it has charted his destiny. Education is an intrinsic value in itself needing no further justification. In fact the Girl Child becomes better equipped to deal with adverse situations. Schooling also provides a break in the habits and culture which stultifies the growth of the girl child. It opens up options and possibilities new dreams and a newer future. More than anything schools provide leisure, time and space of their own; thus when in school they are no longer exploited, no longer have to work for others, will discover themselves and their potentialities, will acquire self esteem and confidence. This is their first step towards gender equality and breakdown of stereotypes; this is the beginning of their role as individuals in their own right. However, there is the need to fully understand the aims and objectives of girl-child education:

1. To equalize same opportunities accorded to their male counterparts
2. Girls education enhances their social and economic value for the development of the society;

• It keeps them fully employed so that they can engage into more meaningful development hence improve the public life

1. It will speed up literacy among their siblings when they finally settle for a family.
2. It will make them more enlightened on how to live a healthier life as well as that of the family
3. It increases their ability to protect themselves from venereal diseases such as HIV; AID etc

• It will help them have a better understanding of how to prepare balanced diet, woman delivery issues and how to maintain good health and how to avoid maternal mortality and child mortality.
• It will enhance their ability to fight poverty and underdevelopment as well as malnutrition.

The U.N.’s “strategic objectives” for the “girl-child” [Para. 259-285]: The ratification of the convention of the rights of the child by all member states is vital in achieving set objectives. Efforts need to be intensified to encourage enrolment of Girl Child, this could be done by embarking on a study research.

Lack of education or acquisition of knowledge among women who in Nigeria and most other countries constitute over 80 percent of the total population, especially in sub-Sahara Africa a larger number of young girls still do not attend school. The global figure for out-of- school children is estimated at 121million, 65million being girls (UNICEF, 2007).

In Nigeria, girls’ access to basic education, especially in northern states, has remained low. As few as 20 percent of women in the North West and North East of the country are literate and have attended school. Source; the 2006 National School Census (NSC) revealed a net enrolment ration (NER) of 80.6% suggesting that a substantial proportion (19%).

Despite the launching of the Universal Basic Education Scheme in 1999 and the enactment of the UBE Act in 2004, progress in the enrolment into Junior Secondary Schools has been very slow. From a total enrolment of 218,597.4 in 1999, it rose to 368,464.4 in 2003 and declined to 282,680.0 in 2008. Female enrolment equally registered very small increases from a figure of 104,289.4 in 1999, it peaked at 163,977.6 in 2005 only to fall to 127,086.5 in 2008. Gender parity ratios began to improve from 2003 when it rose to 0.77 and attained 0.82 in 200

1.2        Statement of the Problem

It is important to find out why girls and/or their parents appear to be ‘unconcerned” about the glaring benefits of education. As long as the majority of girls fail to proceed with formal education beyond secondary level and as long as college level of education is used as a major criterion in the distribution of well-remunerated jobs and leadership positions, they will continue to be marginalised.

They are mostly the duty bearers at home, who handle most of the house work and in Africa, produced 70% of food and yet are the least educated. In situation of emergency the girl child and indeed the women suffer more and yet attitudinal support for the girl-child is lacking. Although there has been several historical development on the right of the child especially the girl-child as contained in the Magna Carter of England. The universal declaration of human rights in (1984), convention on the elimination of forms of all discrimination in (1979), convention on the rights of the child in (1989), and the Beijing Conference of (1994). There is still a problem of the Nigerian policy makers in institutionalizing and enacting laws to protect and enhance the education of the girl- child. Because of the setbacks girl child still did not escape from dropping out of school.

The research work is an attempt to find out factors militating against the enrolment and retention of girl-child education in Nigeria with particular reference to Kaduna state, in selected junior secondary school as case study. The essence of the research is to capture the extent to which enrolment, retention and dropout exist between the male and female children.

The contributing factors lead to the loss of the nation’s human capital in a global economy and national prosperity as well as the availability of ready hands for mischief such as deviant behaviour, violence within the society, stealing, prostitution and other social vices. Hence, these may require urgent attention so as to meet the national educational objectives and existence of peace within Kaduna State and Nigeria at large.

1.3        Objectives of the Study

The aim of the research is to examine the factors militating against the enrolment and retention of girl-child education in junior secondary school in Kaduna State. This study intends to achieve the following objectives:-

1. To determine the level of enrolment of the girl-child students in Junior Secondary Schools in Kaduna State.
2. To determine the rate of retention of the girl-child students in Junior Secondary Schools in Kaduna State.
3. To identify the strategies for enrolment of the girl-child students in Junior Secondary Schools in Kaduna State.
4. To identify the strategies for retention of the girl-child students in Kaduna State.
5. To identify the problems associated with the enrolment of girl-child students in Junior Secondary Schools in Kaduna State.
6. To identify the problems associated with the retention of girl-child students in Kaduna State.

1.4        Research Questions

1. What is the level of enrolment of girl-child students in JSS in Kaduna State?
2. What is the rate of retention of girl-child students in JSS in Kaduna State?
3. What are the strategies for enrolment of girl-child students in JSS in Kaduna State?
4. What are the strategies for retention of girl-child students in JSS in Kaduna State?
5. What are the problems associated with the enrolment of girl-child students in JSS in Kaduna State?
6. What are the problems associated with the retention of girl-child students in JSS in Kaduna State?

1.5        Hypotheses

1. There is no significant relationship/influence between the level of enrolment of girl-child student in JSS and the girl-child student education in Kaduna State.
2. There is no significant relationship/influence between the Rate of retention of girl-child student in JSS and girl-child student education in Kaduna State.
3. There is no significant relationship/influence between the Strategies for enrolment of girl-child student in JSS and the girl-child student education in Kaduna State.
4. There is no significant relationship/influence between the Strategies for retention of girl-child student in JSS and the girl-child student education in Kaduna State.
5. There is no significant relationship/influence between the problems associated with enrolment of girl-child student in JSS and the girl child education in Kaduna State.
6. There is no significant relationship/influence between the problems associated with rate of retention of girl-child student in JSS and the girl-child student education in Kaduna State.

1.6        Basic Assumptions

This research work is based on the following basic assumptions;

1. The research is based on the assumption that girl child education is a waste of resources.
2. That lack of appropriate legislation on girl child education leads to the problems of enrolment and retention.

• That there is relationship between retention and enrolment of girl child students in JSS schools.

1. That parent needs to be empowered financially.

1.7        Significance of the Study

This study will inform policy makers on the need to take education of the girl-child student seriously in order to contribute to the development of the State. The finding will also inform curriculum planners to make their curriculum child-centred to ensure the gender and cultural sensitivity and to include life skills, HIV/AIDS education, citizenship and conflict resolution. Benefit of the study will assist stakeholders in encouraging girl-child student education by making provision of social amenities, e.g. adequate classrooms, laboratories, good water and healthy sanitation and focused at empowering the girl-child student. The study will create general awareness on the importance of girl child education which will enhance women capacity building, employment and general living standard of the women folk. Parents and teachers will benefit from the outcome of this study because the intervention, strategies provides will create better awareness that will encourage the parents to send their girl child to schools while the teachers will encourage the retention of these girls in school.

1.8        Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The research is limited to Kaduna State with specific attention to selected Junior Secondary Schools. The study intends to find out Girl-child students enrolment and retention in Schools, and also identify factors affecting Girl-child student enrolment vis-à-vis that of the male child education and the best solutions to curtailing the factors inhibiting the girl child education in the state.

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