Boy, girl education gap still a challenge
Boys at Nsongwe Basic showcase their skills in making woven baskets.
Boys at Nsongwe Basic showcase their skills in making woven baskets.
By DOREEN NAWA
LIKE many other remote areas in Zambia, girl-child education has continued to play second fiddle to marriage in Kazungula’s Nsongwe area.
This has also led to the continued gap between boys and girls in accessing education.
LIKE many other remote areas in Zambia, girl-child education has continued to play second fiddle to marriage in Kazungula’s Nsongwe area.
This has also led to the continued gap between boys and girls in accessing education.
Many a parent evidently value marriage more than education of the girls.
The number of girls dropping out from school due to early marriages is common phenomenon at Nsongwe Basic School, a 20 minutes drive west of Livingstone.
This probably is evidence enough of the little value attached to girl-child education.
“We have never had a year without cases of early marriages or early pregnancy in school. We lose four to five girls each year,” says Nsongwe Basic School head teacher Regis Makala.
“We are still a long way from achieving the education for all goal.
“One of the barriers to achieving this goal is early marriage. The gap between girls and boys education in accessing education remains a challenge,” Ms Makala says.
UNICEF statistics indicate that Zambia is 10th on a global ranking of early marriages prevalence.
Particularly notable, is the vast gender discrepancy with 42 percent of women aged 20 - 24 years married before age 18, compared to only five per cent of men; indicating that girls are often married to older men.
Marriage takes place for economic, cultural, religious, social and emotional reasons.
In remote areas, especially among the poor, early marriage is common countrywide.
“Usually, it is girls who marry early and not the boys. The gender inequality present in all aspects of society, including education, leads to girls often lacking life skills and negotiating power,” Ms Makala says.
“Therefore, while most boys have a say on when and who they marry and what they do once they are married, many girls do not get the chance to make these decisions,” she says.
Early marriage can be a violation of children’s basic rights to a childhood, to an education, to good health and to make decisions about their own lives.
According to Ms Makala, the physical, emotional and social effects of early marriage are varied, but the most common outcomes is withdrawal of girls from formal education.
To remedy the situation, Ms Makala’s school welcomes girls who still want to attend school even after getting married.
“We have done enough of sensitisation to our pupils,” she says.
The downside to this initiative is that young girls often marry older men who expect wives to stick to the tradition of house-keeping and staying home to take care of the children.
Zambia has a re-entry policy of allowing pregnant girls to return to school after giving birth.
Bessy Muchindu of Nsongwe Basic School is one of the beneficiaries of the re-entry policy.
However, Bessy has a few reservations about the effectiveness of the re-entry policy.
“Even if we are allowed to return to school, the environment - rules, timetables and physical conditions make it quite difficult for us to attend school and perform the duties of a wife and mother at the same time.
Intimidation and abuse by some teachers, fellow pupils and other parents further erodes our self-confidence, forcing us to give up on school,” says Bessy.
Beatrice Muyaba of Nsongwe village, on the other hand, has had a bitter experience of early marriage.
“The idea of forcing girls to marry for material gain is not good. I got married early and I have lived to regret the action my parents took. They stopping me from going to school because they wanted cattle (dowry),” Ms Muyaba says.
She says early marriage can be a big barrier for communities seeking to raise education levels and break the poverty cycle.
“It is not just girls who suffer the consequences of early marriage, community too feel the impact. I have seen communities where educated girls have become role models to the young generation. Educated girls become the talk of the village thereby encouraging other girls to work had in school,” Ms Muyaba says.
The people of Nsongwe depend on cross border trade and handcrafts for their livelihood.
Early marriage is a global issue which affects the education and well-being of millions of children and has a knock-on effect on the poverty and development of communities.
Besides the impact on girl-child education, early marriages also pose health challenges to girls.
From a medical point of view, pregnant girls are at increased risk of acquiring diseases.
According to UNICEF studies conducted in Zambia, teenage brides are contracting HIV at a faster rate than sexually active single girls in the same location.
And Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director, says child brides face much pressure to have children soon after marriage, which not only interrupts efforts to reduce sexually transmitted infections through use of condoms, but also puts the girls at increased risk of maternal death.
Ms Obaid says girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth, including obstetric fistula.
“They are also more likely to have children with low birth weight, inadequate nutrition and anaemia. The health of these young mothers is further compromised, as they are also more likely to develop cervical cancer later in life,” she says.
The number of girls dropping out from school due to early marriages is common phenomenon at Nsongwe Basic School, a 20 minutes drive west of Livingstone.
This probably is evidence enough of the little value attached to girl-child education.
“We have never had a year without cases of early marriages or early pregnancy in school. We lose four to five girls each year,” says Nsongwe Basic School head teacher Regis Makala.
“We are still a long way from achieving the education for all goal.
“One of the barriers to achieving this goal is early marriage. The gap between girls and boys education in accessing education remains a challenge,” Ms Makala says.
UNICEF statistics indicate that Zambia is 10th on a global ranking of early marriages prevalence.
Particularly notable, is the vast gender discrepancy with 42 percent of women aged 20 - 24 years married before age 18, compared to only five per cent of men; indicating that girls are often married to older men.
Marriage takes place for economic, cultural, religious, social and emotional reasons.
In remote areas, especially among the poor, early marriage is common countrywide.
“Usually, it is girls who marry early and not the boys. The gender inequality present in all aspects of society, including education, leads to girls often lacking life skills and negotiating power,” Ms Makala says.
“Therefore, while most boys have a say on when and who they marry and what they do once they are married, many girls do not get the chance to make these decisions,” she says.
Early marriage can be a violation of children’s basic rights to a childhood, to an education, to good health and to make decisions about their own lives.
According to Ms Makala, the physical, emotional and social effects of early marriage are varied, but the most common outcomes is withdrawal of girls from formal education.
To remedy the situation, Ms Makala’s school welcomes girls who still want to attend school even after getting married.
“We have done enough of sensitisation to our pupils,” she says.
The downside to this initiative is that young girls often marry older men who expect wives to stick to the tradition of house-keeping and staying home to take care of the children.
Zambia has a re-entry policy of allowing pregnant girls to return to school after giving birth.
Bessy Muchindu of Nsongwe Basic School is one of the beneficiaries of the re-entry policy.
However, Bessy has a few reservations about the effectiveness of the re-entry policy.
“Even if we are allowed to return to school, the environment - rules, timetables and physical conditions make it quite difficult for us to attend school and perform the duties of a wife and mother at the same time.
Intimidation and abuse by some teachers, fellow pupils and other parents further erodes our self-confidence, forcing us to give up on school,” says Bessy.
Beatrice Muyaba of Nsongwe village, on the other hand, has had a bitter experience of early marriage.
“The idea of forcing girls to marry for material gain is not good. I got married early and I have lived to regret the action my parents took. They stopping me from going to school because they wanted cattle (dowry),” Ms Muyaba says.
She says early marriage can be a big barrier for communities seeking to raise education levels and break the poverty cycle.
“It is not just girls who suffer the consequences of early marriage, community too feel the impact. I have seen communities where educated girls have become role models to the young generation. Educated girls become the talk of the village thereby encouraging other girls to work had in school,” Ms Muyaba says.
The people of Nsongwe depend on cross border trade and handcrafts for their livelihood.
Early marriage is a global issue which affects the education and well-being of millions of children and has a knock-on effect on the poverty and development of communities.
Besides the impact on girl-child education, early marriages also pose health challenges to girls.
From a medical point of view, pregnant girls are at increased risk of acquiring diseases.
According to UNICEF studies conducted in Zambia, teenage brides are contracting HIV at a faster rate than sexually active single girls in the same location.
And Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director, says child brides face much pressure to have children soon after marriage, which not only interrupts efforts to reduce sexually transmitted infections through use of condoms, but also puts the girls at increased risk of maternal death.
Ms Obaid says girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth, including obstetric fistula.
“They are also more likely to have children with low birth weight, inadequate nutrition and anaemia. The health of these young mothers is further compromised, as they are also more likely to develop cervical cancer later in life,” she says.
Published on Wednesday, 27 February 2013 06:29
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