African Girls face obstacles to education

Girls were perceived to be less intelligent and they
were bullied and sexually harassed, making school a hostile place.

If girls became pregnant, the Education Department allowed them to return
to school once they had given birth, but this policy had not been properly
disseminated so girls still aborted and hid pregnancies. Some teachers were

responsible for pregnancies, but because of connivance they were not held to

account for their actions, the report said. Some teachers were responsible for

pregnancies, but because of connivance they were not held to account for their

actions, the report said.

 

JOHANNESBURG, 9 July (IRIN) - Girls in Malawi have to overcome a mountain
of sometimes insurmountable obstacles if they hope to complete their
education, a new study has found.

The girls' battle to get an education falls within the shocking statistic
that only 20 percent of Malawi's children complete primary school.

The latest study, conducted by the government and UNICEF's Basic Education
Programme, found that although the introduction of free education in 1994
removed a major obstacle, the country still had a high drop out rate
caused by a new set of constraints.

While boys also struggled through difficulties, such as being taken out of
school during peak agricultural activities, getting an education appeared
to be more difficult for girls.

Poverty and economic conditions often decided whether an education was
possible. One of the main obstacles was the perception that boys'
education was seen as more important. Girls often started school at a
later age - eight instead of six - and were weighed down with "burdensome
involvement" in household chores while trying to find time for their
schooling, the report said.

According to the government and UNICEF report, gender differences,
encouraged through segregated activities at home, continued at school.
Girls were tasked with collecting water for teachers if the school didn't
have its own taps. Schools had fewer female teachers so girls did not have
role models and female teachers were often allocated infant classes.

The study found that girls were perceived to be less intelligent and they
were bullied and sexually harassed, making school a hostile place.

Their performance was hampered by other conditions that boys also had to
deal with, such as poor teacher knowledge and training, inadequate
teaching materials and unstimulating class environments.

If girls became pregnant, the Education Department allowed them to return
to school once they had given birth, but this policy had not been properly
disseminated so girls still aborted and hid pregnancies.

The processing of applications for readmission often took two years -
another setback for young women already battling community pressure to get
married rather than return to school.

Some teachers were responsible for pregnancies, but because of connivance
they were not held to account for their actions, the report said.

When girls were able to return to school, they found that their old school
saw them as a bad influence and preferred them to go to another school.

Education policy stated that boys responsible for pregnancies should also
be suspended, but they avoided this by transferring to another school,
with no disruption to their own education.

The Malawi National Human Development Report (MNHDR), released in May, put
the student mix in secondary schools at 72 percent boys and 28 percent
girls and said only 27 percent of university admissions were women.

The joint government/UNICEF programme had been responding to these
challenges through a number of strategies with the help of the World Food
Programme (WFP), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the
British Department for International Development (DFID), the Danish Agency
for Development Assistance, the World Bank and the African Development
Bank.

In a paper on accelerating progress toward education for all, released in
April, the World Bank said: "Good education reduces poverty and inequality
and is essential for sustained economic growth. Combined with good
macroeconomic policies, it is fundamental for the construction of
democratic societies and globally competitive economies."

It noted that in every country, completion rates were lowest for children
from poor families and in rural areas. The MNHDR put Malawi's education
challenges into perspective - it said 65 percent of the people in Malawi
are poor, and 28 percent are extremely poor.

A single mother at a nutrition centre told IRIN earlier this year that her
seven-year-old daughter could not go to school as she had to look after
her baby twin brothers to enable her mother to do piece work to feed the
family.

To turn this situation around, in the 1997 to 2001 programme cycle, the
government/UNICEF programme had implemented two major projects revolving
around community schools and life skills. So far, 85 community schools had
been built in 10 districts in areas of low enrolment.

The new schools had enrolled 80,000 pupils and introduced the concept of
"Joyful Learning". This incorporated participatory teaching and learning,
the provision of text books, furniture and equipment, the improvement of
the school environment and the provision of safe water and improved
sanitation.

In response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, they also introduced life skills
programmes to help youths make informed decisions on their sexual
behaviour.

But for the girls who hope to complete their education and have greater
choices, the most significant changes will come in projects within the
2002 to 2006 programme planned by the government and UNICEF.

One such project will support measures to ensure full and equal access to
basic education through community schools and will ensure the elimination
of gender discrimination in classrooms, schools, home and community and
the provision of textbooks.

It will also promote the enforcement of the policy of re-admission of
young mothers and mobilise families and communities against harmful
traditions and cultural practices.