Factors Affecting Girl Child Education in Ntuusi Sub-County, Sembabule District
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FACTORS AFFECTING GIRL CHILD EDUCATION IN NTUUSI SUB-COUNTY, SEMBABULE DISTRICT BY BYAMUKAMA NATHAN 1153-06044-02232 A RESEARCH DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES OF KAMPALA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY SEPTEMBER, 2018 DECLARATION I, Byamukama Nathan declare that this is my original research has never been presented in any other institution of higher learning for any award. Sign. Date. ~4.i. .~i’ I.. .~P. (~ 1153-06044-02232 (STUDENT) APPROVAL This is solemnly approved to you that the research project entitled Factors Affecting Girl Child Education in Ntuusi Sub-County, Sembabule District, Uganda is original and has been under my supervision. Sign Date..t~ Dr. Richard Asaba (SUPERVISOR) DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my beloved father Mwesigye James and my brother Daniel Dahab for their words of wisdom encouragement and support in all my undertakings throughout my life. In the same way you inspire me and support me, in this milestone, Bachelors in the discipline of Development Studies is as a result of your confidence in me to achieve greater heights in life. 111 TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION APPROVAL DEDICATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT CHAPTER ONE 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.0 Introduction of the study 1 1.1 Background of the Study 1 1.2 Statement of the problem 3 1.3 Purpose of the Study 4 1.4 Objectives of the Research were; 4 1.5 Research Questions 4 1.6 Scope of the Study 4 1.6.1 Content Scope 4 1.6.2 Geographical Scope 4 1.6.3 Time Scope 4 1.7 Significance of the study 4 1.8 Conceptual diagram 6 1.8 Definition of Significant terms used in the study 7 CHAPTER TWO 8 REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE 8 2.0 Introduction 8 2.1 Status of Girl Child Education 8 2.2 The socio-economic factors affect girl child education 9 2.3 The socio economic benefits of educating a girl child 16 2.4 Problems Faced By Girl Child Education 17 2.5 Possible Solutions for the Girl Child Education 22 CHAPTER THREE 28 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 28 3.0 Introduction 28 V 3.1 Research design .28 3.2 Area of study 28 3.3 Target population 28 3.4 Sample size 28 3.5 Sampling technique 29 3.6 Data collection methods and Instruments 29 3.6.lASurvey 29 3.6.2 In-depth Interviews 29 3.6.3 Secondary data 29 3.7 Data analysis 29 3.8 Ethical considerations 30 3.9 Procedure for data collection 30 3.10 Limitations to the study 30 CHAPTER FOUR DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 31 4.0 Introduction 31 4.1 Social and Demographic Characteristics 31 4.1.1 Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents 33 4.2 Respondents Perception of the Socio-economic Factors Affecting Girl Child Education 34 4.3 Respondents Views on Cultural Factors affecting Girls education 37 4.4 School-based Factors Affecting Girls’ Participation in Education 39 CHAPTER FIVE 41 5.0 DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 41 5.1 Introduction 41 5.2 Summary of the major findings 41 5.3.1 Socio-Economic factors 42 5.2.2 Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Girls’ Participation in Education 42 5.3.2 Cultural Factors Affecting Girls’ Participation in Education 42 5.3.3 School Based Factors Affecting Girls’ Participation in Education 44 5.3 Conclusions 45 5.4 Recommendations 46 5.5 Suggestions for Further Research 46 REFERENCES 47 APPENDICES 49 vi ABSTRACT The Girl child education has become a real concern in all nations of the World particularly in the developing countries of the Sub-Saharan Africa, and Uganda in particular. Girl child education provides benefits to the family and the society at large and thus factors affecting it should be addressed for the sake of human and societal development The objective of this study was to establish the factors affecting girl child education in secondary schools in Ntuusi Sub County, Sembabule District Uganda. Specifically, the study investigated the effect socio-economic, cultural and school -based factors have on a girl-child education in secondary school education. A case study design was adopted to undertake the study and data was collected from primary and secondary sources. The Purposive sampling method was adopted for the data collection process. Simple random sampling technique was also employed in the selection of students, teachers and parents to ensure unbiased representation of the various units of analysis. A survey of 50 respondents including teachers, parents/guardians and girls. In-depth interviews were also conducted with head teachers and education officers. Descriptive statistics involving frequencies, percentages were used to analyze and present the results. The findings of the study found show that socio-economic, cultural beliefs and school based factors that such as early marriage and pregnancies affect girl’s secondary schools in Ntuusi Sub County. Majority of the respondents recommended that awareness be created to all stakeholders on the importance of girl child education in the district. The same study should be carried out nationwide to find out whether the findings of this study hold. The study recommends that, Girls should embrace intervention programmes that support them and wear a positive attitude towards their education Parents and the society should support such programmes to help the Girl child build confidence in herself to pursue higher education. vii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction of the study This chapter covers the background to the study, the statement of the problem, the purpose of the study, research questions, and significance of the study and scope of the study. 1.1 Background of the Study The World Bank has stressed the high social rates of return to female education as an important development strategy for developing countries and this strategy is broadly commended across a range of agencies and, governments. It is widely behind that educated women marry later, want fewer children and are more likely to use effective methods of contraception. Large differences in fertility rates are found between those who have completed at least seven years of education and women who have not completed primary education (United Nations, 2015). The more educated the mother, the lower is maternal mortality and the healthier is the child produced (World Bank, 2015). It is calculated that child mortality falls by about eight percent for each additional year of parental schooling for at least the first eight to ten years of schooling. This is explained through the use of medical services and improved household health behavior, resulting from attitudinal changes and ability to afford better nutrition and health services. Some 67 countries have secondary schools attendance and enrolment rates for girls at less than 85 per cent. (Boyden & Gibbs, 2017). Globally, there are just 96 girls for every 100 boys in secondary schools, with disparities at the secondary level even more acute. Yet uneducated girls are more at risk than boys to become marginalized. They are more vulnerable to exploitation. They are more likely than educated girls to contract HIV/AIDS, which spreads twice as quickly among uneducated girls than among girls that have even some schooling. Nearly a third of all adults living with HIV/AIDS are under the age of 25, and almost two thirds of these people are women (Agaba, 2017). In Africa alone close to 121 million children are not in school, most of them girls. If a family can afford school fees for only one child, it will likely be a boy who attends. If someone needs to fetch water or do housework instead of going to school, a girl will likely be chosen. If someone needs to stay home to care for younger siblings or sick household members, this will 1 most likely be a girl: girls will also most likely be withdrawn from school early in adolescence as the age of marriage approaches. (Alanen, 2012). Yet study after study shows that educating girls is the single most effective policy to raise overall economic productivity, as well as lower infant and maternal mortality, educate the next generation, improve nutrition and promote health. (Wills, 2016). Girls with at least six years of school education are more likely to be able to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Educated mothers immunize their children 50 per cent more often than mothers who are not educated, and their children have a 40 per cent higher survival rate. Moreover, mothers who have had some education are more than twice as likely to send their own children to school, as are mothers with no education (Boyden & Gibbs, 2017). In Uganda Primary education is perceived to benefit the poor directly by bringing higher incomes, better health and empowerment, especially for girls. Even with the introduction of Universal Primary Education in 2017 (allowing four children per family, two of which will be to be girls, to have free primary education which later changed to include all school going children) the figures still show that more boys than girls enroll at primary level. For example there are between 20 percent and 35 percent more boys than girls in lower classes of primary one to primary four and over 60 percent more boys by the higher classes in a senior secondary school i.e. senior five to senior six. (Barebwoha, 2017). The trend seems to be that retaining girls and boys in school is not as highly prized by parents, schools and government as enrolling them. This means that there are a number of problems both within the UPE delivery system and the demand side that constrain achievement of gender equality in education.