Introduction
It is through education that both men and women maintain their rights. Education creates an opportunity where one can realize his/her potential in the social, economic, and political world. It is the strongest way of driving out poverty. Feminism is more widespread in education. The number of girls likely to access learning institutions is much lower compared to that of boys. Few of them remain in schools or make it in education.
Education to a girl child is of significant importance towards her development into adult life. Most girls in many societies all over the world have been discriminated against in education even today. They are perceived to be the weaker beings compared to their male counterparts. It is argued that there is no need to educate them because it will be of no use. A woman’s role has been perceived to be in the kitchen where no skills are required. Contrary to this, women’s education is actually of more importance than men’s. They are the first teachers to the children and contribute a lot in terms of development and economic growth in the society. In this paper I will look at the right to education, how literate women can help in improving household health and nutrition, and how they help in alleviating poverty.
The Right to Education
The right to education has been recognized since 1948. Many nations all over the world have acknowledged the right to free and compulsory primary education for all children. Some have even gone further to encourage secondary education. This right has been elaborated to cater for both quality and equity, that is, free education should be of good quality and accessible to everyone. There should be no discrimination on any ground, be it ethnic, race or gender. Girl’s discrimination on education is still widespread. This denies them the power to fight for their rights. Therefore girls’ education should be promoted if they are to survive in the drastically changing world. More emphasis should be put on the right of the girl child to education. It is through education that these girls can fight for their other rights in the society. The right to girls’ education has been hindered by the traditional and cultural values that are still solid in many societies. Other communities fear that education to girls will empower them to fight for their positions in society (Anon. 2008). If only girls were allowed to access education, some of the inequalities we have today could be addressed. Some of these inequalities criticize the need for quality education for girls and deny them equal opportunities as those given to men.
In some of the rural areas in Africa, girls have been discriminated against education not on a cultural or traditional basis but because of poverty. Most of the governments have advocated for free and compulsory primary education but still there are thousands of girls who are out of school in sub-Saharan Africa. For example in 2005, the total number of girls who were enrolled in primary school was only 66% while that of secondary school was only 24%. The importance of educating the girl child has been recognized by the states of these nations and the millennium development goals have targeted increasing and facilitating global education (Anon, 2008).
Through education, a woman acquires the basics skills in life; that is the writing, reading, and communicating skills. These skills help the girls to make decisions that can be of great help in bringing changes to the community they live in.
Better Health and Nutrition
Education to women equips them with the fundamental understanding of nutrition, health and family planning skills. They get exposed to a variety of choices and the power of deciding what is good for them. They are relieved of the burden of being dependent on men in making some of the simple decisions. Women’s education results in improved reproductive health, family health and a reduction in child mortality rates (Anon. 2008).
For many years, women’s education has been recognized as the best solution to poverty and diseases related issues. It is through women’s education that the Millennium Development Goals (MGD’s) especially goals one, five and six are achieved. Goal one talks about poverty reduction, five is about improvement in maternal health while six talks about reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence. All these can be directly or indirectly influenced by women’s education. Recent studies have shown that, girls who go through their primary and post-primary education successfully tend to marry at a later age. Schools provide the opportunity for the girls to mature and make solid decisions in life. They rule out marriage at an early age and encourage concentration on their studies. In turn the girls aim at getting higher education where they can get the necessary skills required in today’s workplace. It is through education that they get good-paying jobs with better salaries. After getting married, they get small families which they can manage by themselves. On the other hand, girls who drop out of school at an early age tend to take up low-paying jobs with exploitative conditions. Some involve themselves in commercial sex to earn a living. This facilitates the spread of HIV/AIDS. According to data collected from Zambia in a research on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, it was observed that HIV/AIDS infection was higher among non-educated women than the educated.
In the western world, education is provided to both males and females without discrimination. They have increased women’s education abroad. This has been facilitated by non-profit making organizations and the government organizations. These organizations include the central Asia Institute and the Office of Women and Development/US Agency for International Development they have discovered the importance of educating women and have focused on promotion of literacy and integrated learning of writing, reading, and arithmetic skills (Scully, 2009).
Research has shown that educated women are expected to be more conscious of the significance of population control and taking health issues seriously. Women’s education improves household health, lowers child mortality rate and reduces population growth. Education improves the chances of accessing nutrition-related information, child nurturing practices, and how to effectively diagnose diseases (Scully, 2009).
Poverty Eradication
One of the major causes of poverty is illiteracy. It is an evil that is eating up the societies. Illiteracy is a universal problem that is affecting many nations. It can only be eradicated through provision of education especially to the girl child. Poverty is inevitable and hinders the fulfillment of human rights. It is a result of the infringement of human rights especially the right to education. People with low literacy levels are at high risk of being unemployed. Today, formal employment requires the use of the basic skills such as reading, writing and communication. Skills requirements in job places have advanced with employers having difficulties in finding the right labor force (Bellaigue, 2007).
Women constitute about half of the total labor force with many women living in families. About 20% of women have been windowed while others live as single parents. Some men have neglected their families leaving them to be headed by women. Majority of these women have been denied their right to education thereby living in poverty. One of the strategies of eradicating poverty is the provision of education and training.
Education Reduces Violence
At a conference in Burkina Faso on the elimination of discrimination, education was described as an opportunity for women’s empowerment. It was observed that illiteracy rates were high among women living in Burkina Faso. Education could not only eradicate poverty but also help in reducing violence in households. To achieve this, a bigger percentage of women were required in political power. This could only be achieved through provision of education to the girls. Violence in families results from lack of education. As a way of curbing this, young people should be provided with family education which would help them shun away from such evils (Anon. 2000).
A member of the conference agreed that Lack of equality was attributed to the fact that most women were illiterate. Education was seen as the only way of providing awareness to women about their human rights. He also observed that there was need to teach women how to make their voices heard in cases of discrimination. He observed that one way of shaping a girl’s destiny is by giving her an education.
Positives Move towards Women Education in Africa
Girls’ education starts at the primary school level. Cotton (2007), the executive director of the Campaign for Female Education (camped) observed that increasing access to education does not necessarily mean interfering with its quality. It requires expansion of the available investments and infrastructure to avoid straining the existing ones. Some nations have taken up the test. In 2002, the government of Tanzania started an expansion plan on primary education. The plan abolished primary school fees and embarked on primary school investments. During the plan, many teachers received training, schools were refurbished, textbooks were bought and new schools were built. By the year 2006 a significant difference was noted in the increase in the number of children enrolled. It rose from about 60% in 2002 to 96% in 2006. This was a clear picture showing that access to education can be increased without compromising its quality.
Camfed supports girls who are in need, those that have been discriminated against in education and those affected by poverty. This is because these girls often face early marriages or are employed as child laborers. It has been able to help girls over the last 17 years. Camfed has seen some of the girls move through primary, secondary and tertiary levels to become accountants, lawyers or economists. It also supports women who do not make it to the tertiary level. It empowers them economically to start up their businesses. These women are also provided with technical know-how on how to run their businesses effectively as that is one of the ways of breaking the circle of poverty which is widespread in sub-Saharan areas. Education has brought hope to many of the Camfed beneficiaries. Many girls and women in the sub-Saharan areas have been able to achieve their dreams (Cotton, 2007).
Conclusion
Everyone has the right to education. It helps one to realize his dreams and self-worth in society. It is through education that we acquire the basic skills in life. Women’s education contributes more to society than men’s education. Being equipped with the fundamental skills of health, nutrition and reproductive health, a woman can look after the whole household. Many nations all over the world are advocating for free and compulsory primary education although there are still nations where discrimination against women is prevalent. This is based on traditional and cultural values, fear, and poverty. Rural areas of sub- Saharan Africa are the most affected where girls have been discriminated against education on the grounds of poverty. For example in 2005, the total number of girls who were enrolled in primary school was only 66% while that of secondary school was only 24%.
Women’s education is important in eradicating poverty, promoting good health, economic development, gender equality and reduction of HIV/AIDS. For many years, women’s education has been recognized as the best solution for solving poverty and diseases related issues. It is through women’s education that the Millennium Development Goals (MGD’s) especially goals one, five and six are achieved. Goal one talks about poverty reduction, five is about improvement in maternal health while six talks about reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence.
Girls’ education can be promoted by increasing their access to primary schools. Camfed observed that increasing access to education does not necessarily mean interfering with its quality. It requires expansion of the available investments and infrastructure to avoid straining the existing ones. Camfed has benefited many girls and women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Reference
Anon. (2008). Importance of girls’/women’s education: Right to Education project promoting mobilizing and legal accountability. Web.
Anon. (2000). Importance of education for women stressed during anti-discrimination committee meeting on Burkina Faso reports. Press Release WOM/1168. Web.
Bellaigue, C. D. (2007). Educating women: schooling and identity in England and France, 1800-1867. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cotton, A. (2007). The importance of educating girls and women: the fight against poverty in African rural communities. Web.
Scully, L. (2009). The Importance of Educating Girls and Women. Web.