IN MOST rural parts of Zambia, people value marriage more than the education.
In Nsongwe area in Kazungula district of Southern Province, the situation is not different.
A significant number of school dropouts at Nsongwe Basic School located 20 minutes’ drive from Livingstone, Zambia’s tourist capital, off the Victoria Falls road.
In fact, the number of girls dropping from school as a result of child marriages is not a new phenomenon.
“We have never had a whole year without cases of child marriages or early pregnancies in school. We lose four to five girls each year. We are still a long way from achieving the Education for All goal of equality in education for girls and boys.
“One of the barriers to achieving this goal is child marriage, or the marriage of school-age children. The gap between girls and boys education in accessing education remains a challenge,” Nsongwe headteacher Regis Makala says.
Statistics on the UNICEF website indicate that Zambia is 10th on a global ranking of prevalence of early marriages among girls and boys.
Particularly, notable is the vast gender discrepancy with 42 percent of women aged 20-24 years, married before age 18 compared to only five percent of men, indicating that girls are often married to older men.
Marriage takes place for economic, cultural, religious, social and emotional reasons. In many remote areas, especially among the rural poor, marriage at a young age is common.
“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. Therefore, while most boys have a say in when and who they marry and what they do once they are married, many girls do not get the chance to make these decisions here in our area,” the headteacher says.
Child 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 child marriage are varied, but one of the most common outcomes is the withdrawal of girls from formal education.
“While marriage does not have to mean that a girl’s or boy’s education finishes, the attitudes of parents, schools and spouses in many societies mean that it often does.
“But I am glad because as Nsongwe Basic School, we have made sure that the girls that still want to attend school even after getting married can do so without any hindrance. We have done enough of sensitisation to our pupils,” Ms Makala says.
Ms Makala says one challenge is that husbands of young wives are often older men, who expect their wives to follow tradition, stay home and undertake household and child-care duties.
A girl may be unable to go against her husband’s wishes and his family may refuse to invest their scarce resources in her continued schooling.
Schools in Zambia have a policy of allowing married or pregnant girls or girls with babies to return under the government’s re-entry policy.
Through this policy, is hailed as a good measure aimed at taking the affected pupils back to school.
One of the beneficiaries of the re-entry policy at Nsongwe Basic School Bessy Muchindu, had this to say, “Even if they do permit us to return, the school environment – rules, timetables and physical conditions – make it too difficult for us to attend school and perform the duties as wife and mother at the same time. Intimidation and abuse by some teachers, pupils and other parents further reduce our confidence and sense of security, forcing us to give up on schooling.”
When girls drop out of school to get married, there is a felt effect for the community as a whole, and for future generations.
Girls who marry young inevitably become mothers early and therefore have many children because their knowledge of contraception is poor and their power to negotiate its use is weak.
Evidence suggests that children of young, uneducated mothers are less likely to have a good start to their education, do well in class or continue beyond the minimum schooling.
The daughters especially are likely to drop out, marry young and begin the cycle again like their mothers.
“The idea of forcing the girls to marry for wealth is not good. I got married early, too, and have lived to regret the action my parents took by stopping me from continuing with my education because they wanted cattle,” says Beatrice Muyaba, a resident of Nsongwe village.
According to Ms Muyaba, child marriage can be a significant barrier for communities seeking to raise education levels and break the cycle of poverty.
“It is not just girls who see their life chances reduced by early marriage. The community, too. I have seen communities where educated girls have become role models to the younger generation. They become the talk of the village thereby encouraging other girls to work hard in school,” Ms Muyaba says.
Government encourages girls’ education, raises awareness on gender equality issues in schools and communities, and states that married and pregnant girls must be readmitted to school.
Early pregnancy poses many challenges for young girls. Because pregnancy suppresses the immune system, pregnant girls are at an increased risk of acquiring diseases.
Livelihoods of the people of Nsongwe revolve around cross-border trade and crafts.
Despite international agreements and national laws, marriage of girls aged below 18 years of age is common worldwide and affects millions.
Investing in education for girls yields perhaps the best returns of all investments in developing countries.
To stop child marriages, policies and programmes must educate communities, raise awareness, engage local and religious leaders, involve parents, and empower girls through education and employment.
This reality has fortunately dawned on the Toka leya people of Nsongwe village, who have realised that educating the girls is the deadliest weapon against poverty. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON APRIL 2, 2016
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