Barriers: Obstacles in African Countries that Prevent Girls from Receiving a Proper Education.
Written by Aleksandra Isaeva (Ezra)
Edited by Gianna Furnari
*This is a fact checked piece*
As stated by UNESCO, there are 129 million girls in Africa and 50 million girls in sub-Saharan Africa face all kinds of struggles, including economic and cultural ones which impede them from receiving an education. Many social norms prevent girls from pursuing education in West and Central Africa, In the last two decades, the proportion of girls starting school has increased, but there is still a large gap in West and Central African countries, especially for adolescent girls and children living in the poorest areas, and girls with disabilities. Girls account for 52% of the 38.8 million children out of school in the region. Firstly, an especially crucial factor in cases that prevent education is early pregnancy; this is a combination of social, economic, and educational factors. In these cases, this included a limited sexual and reproductive education and gendered social norms around adolescence and sexual behavior, these factors are influenced by girls' own identity and the community in which they were raised in.
This is often associated with child marriage and leads to girls who can have an education is dropping out. Early pregnancy is a crucial major reason girls drop out of school due to reasons like discriminatory laws and policies and social norms. Early pregnancy rates are higher in countries such as Chad, Mali, and Niger.
In countries such as Mozambique and Sierra Leone (where policies have changed), there are still factors such as negative teachers, parents, and peers' attitudes that contribute to ostracizing pregnant young girls and mothers in education. Because there is so much stigma and fear. Even in some cases, criminalizing pregnancy out of wedlock makes parents make radical decisions for their children's education. For example, it is valued by parents to send their children to school when they reach a certain age, but when it comes to young mothers, parents take caution in sending these girls to school and prefer keeping them at home.
Child marriage is also to be considered in these situations; it is driven by gender inequality and
unequal power dynamics, child marriage is common in places where there are high cases of
gender-based violence, poverty, and socio-cultural norms. Child marriage is even more prevalent in girls living in rural areas. Child marriage is both a cause of girls being unable to attend school, often a consequence of girls' school dropout rates. Social norms put a lot of pressure on girls to drop out of school when they get married or fall pregnant instead of continuing their education.
West and Central Africa have among the highest rates of child marriages in the world. However, rates are declining, but way too slowly. School-related gender-based violence is common all around the world. This can be defined as: threats or acts of sexual assault or physical or psychological violence around schools caused as a result of gender norms and stereotypes. This kind of violence can be perpetrated by teachers and students. Female students are the main victims of inappropriate sexual touching and non-consensual acts of sex.
In sub-Saharan Africa, there are many cases in which girls report male teachers demanding sexual favours in return for good grades. Violence is also often directed to members of the LGBTQIA+ community. For students with disabilities, school curriculums are often not adapted to their needs, creating educational and achievement barriers. Schools also create certain hierarchies that reinforce norms and stigmas that disregard children with disabilities. Girls with disabilities also endure more gender-based violence compared to boys. Due to this, families may resist sending their children to school in fear of their safety. As well as education costs for girls with disabilities, are higher than average. All GCI countries have stated they are committed to ending the exclusion of children with disabilities from education by signing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities However, significant gender gaps continue to exist between policies, commitments and implementations.
There are many economic disadvantages in Africa that prevent girls from getting an education.
especially when combined with gender norms regarding the role of women in society and beliefs.
about the value of girls' education. Parents may choose to prioritize boys' education over girls.
Since gender norms show that boys are more likely to be able to leave and find jobs. Household Poverty and little access to quality education are high causes of child labor. Female teachers and leaders play a key role in creating a high-quality and safe educational system.
In Mozambique, schools that have female teachers are seen to have a lower drop-out rates than schools with male teachers, yet still, in GCI countries, women remain underrepresented in schools. Early research and analysis show that schools with women in leadership roles do much better than male-led schools. Evidence shows that girls are more likely to go to school and Parents are more likely to send their daughters to school if a woman is in charge. As we can see from some of the obstacles stated above, girls all over the continent of Africa struggle every day with the fact that they cannot get a proper education. There are way more obstacles that could be discussed as well. These obstacles show us how much more progress we can make.
We all deserve an education; it is a fundamental right. It is important to note that more development is being made than in the past.However, not enough is being done to completely turn around these girls' lives. The act of encouraging girls to pursue education falls on our policy makers and leaders. It is up to us to continue to fight for the betterment of a young woman’s education. It is better to get all children the education they deserve to pursue their dreams.