Importance of Educating Girl Child

GIRLS EDUCATION PROVISION/OVERVIEW IN THE GAMBIA

Although the Gambian Constitution and international human rights treaties the country ratified have recognize girl’s fundamental right to education, the lower completion rate of girls at the primary level and disparities between rural and urban areas in access to education remains to be a concern.

The Gambia Government incorporated further policy measures and programmes in an attempt to fulfil its legal obligation to protect girl’s right to education. Consequently, Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) amongst other projects were adopted in light of its commitment towards providing quality education for all Gambians at basic level (UNICEF, 2012).
In contrast to previous data, these initiatives were significant steps towards addressing gender disparity, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated in a study. As a result, in 2010 the country registered a Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) of 88% at primary level, with a Net Enrolment Rate (NER) of 70% for girls. Therefore, inequalities in enrolment do not exist at primary education level the report indicated. However, the report shows that disparity exists at the upper basic and senior secondary level, which is completed by only 25% of girls against 32% for boys.

Factors and Barriers of Girls' Education

Girls’ dropping out of the school system in The Gambia, before completing the nine years required basic education is a widespread phenomenon that needs serious consideration. Factors that may cause this include:

Poverty: This is an attributable factor that may cause girls early dropout of school. Poor families cannot provide adequate clothing including uniforms, books, bags and shoes for all their children. Also in certain circumstances, children have to go in the streets sell water for their families up keeping. Additionally, some stays in their household to often help look after siblings of large family units.

Early Marriage: In The Gambia, early marriages play a big role in stopping girls from going to school. In this regard, once girls get married their education takes a backseat to their marriage life which encompasses being a mother and a wife. Although in 2016 the Gambian authorities took a significant step towards ending child marriage by amending the Children’s Act 2005 criminalising child marriage, a UNICEF (2016) report reveals that 40 per cent of women aged 20 – 49 in The Gambia were married before the age of 18 years and, while 16 per cent of women of the same age cohort married before they turned 15 years old.

Role Models: According to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), there is insufficient number of female teachers to serve as role models, especially in rural Gambia. Additionally, most girls who drop out come from uneducated family backgrounds, whereas the parents themselves did not complete the nine years basic educational cycle requirement.

Finally, despite the policy and legal frameworks created by the Gambia government towards protecting girl’s right to education, its provision remains compounded with lack of inclusive education for women`s and girls’ with disabilities, inadequacy of school infrastructure, including sanitary facilities, girls and women living in poverty, child marriages and early pregnancies.