Girl Child Education and Socio-Economic Growth in Nigeria: A Study of Akwa Ibom State Perspective

Abstract

This study attempts to investigate the girl child education and socio-economic growth in Nigeria using Akwa Ibom State as a case study. In almost all the communities in Nigeria the girl child faces a number of disadvantages relative to the boys. There have been persistent hues and cries over the years for the emancipation of women from the shackles of male domination and the Nigerian girl-child has been suppressed by gender biased stereotypes and prejudice arising from culture, religion and political settings. Two hypotheses were formulated to guide the research. The survey research method and the liberal feminist theory of gender inequality by Dugbazab, were adopted. The study employed structured and non-structured questionnaire which was administered to six hundred (600) respondents using stratifified simple random sampling technique to select proportionately six (6) communities in three (3) senatorial districts (Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket). Simple percentage and chi-square test was used for analysis. Findings among others show that, there is high level of gender disparity in education; and the culture of the people, illiteracy and the rate of poverty impede the girl-child education. The study agrees that socio-economic growth needs education to back it up. The study recommends among others, that government and other stakeholders in women affairs should strive to create conducive, enabling, socio-political and economic conditions which will discourage societal preference for male children and the traditional belief that the position of women is in the kitchen. That the counselors in the various states of the country should counsel young girls on attitudinal change, assertive social skills, self-esteem concept and interest among others. Also the federal, state and local governments should provide free, compulsory primary and secondary education in all the villages of the 774 local government areas in Nigeria by building more standard schools, well-staffed and equipped to provide quality education so that the children can compete favourably with their counterparts from the cities.