Cultural Factors on the Girl-Child Education in Secondary Schools in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria.
This research examines the effect of socio-cultural factors on the Girl-Child education in secondary schools in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State. It is a survey study. The research also took not of some key factors, which among other things, include the great attitude of parents towards girl-child education effect of early marriage. Influence of the family background and size and the socio-economic situation in the community. The findings showed that almost all the above mentioned factors are responsible for limited access of the girl- child education. To limit or reduce the effect of the factors, therefore, the researcher recommends and suggests more awareness campaign, not only for girls but also for parents to take seriously the education of their girl-child. Just as they do for their boy-child. The researcher also suggests ways for improving on girl-child in Ihiala community and all other communities that share similar cultural and socio-economic similarities with Ihiala community. Introduction: Primary education started in Nigeria in the 1840s with the advent of the missionaries, because the traditional system of governance - the in direct rule of the British colonialists. The traditional rulers and chiefs who had the direct contact with the colonialists were very reluctant to send their children and wards to the early schools established because they were not sure of the motive of the British. Instead, the traditional rulers and chiefs sent children to slaves and others who were serving them as house-helps to these schools. It was after these; slaves became literate and were employed by the missionaries as clerks and interpreters that are dawned on the traditional rulers that could after all be beneficial to send their children to school. Research Questions: Culture and tradition encourage female children to be given out early in marriage rather than educating them? 1. Female children from large families stay at home while the male children attend schools? Men and women are assigned traditional roles to play in the society by their culture. In Ihiala for example, the traditional education is such that girl-child is made to understudy her mother while the boys are made to also understudy their father in their chosen professions. The expectation, therefore, was that the culture of the people never encourages the girl-child to do more, than help out in cooking food and doing other domestic chores. Over time, therefore, everybody imbibed the culture and the girl- child education suffered tremendously. Informal education was what the culture requires to train and prepare both men and women for survival. What is known as formal education was introduced to Nigeria with the advent of British rule and the coming Christian Missionaries. The problems of girl-child education have been in existence since the introduction of British rule in Nigeria. Parents were very reluctant to send their female children to school. This was partly because the traditional system of education often dictates that the place of the girl or woman in the society is in the home. Primary education started in the 1850s with the coming of the missionaries in various parts of what is known today as Nigeria. The Christian Missionary Society (CMS) started both primary and secondary education in Nigeria. With this even the girls that are opportune to go to school gets pregnant because of lack of self discipline. They are forced to get married and this leads to good bye to education. But the ugly trend and reluctance to send girl-child to school because culture factors, which hither- to affected growth of girl-child education was checked as the Roman Catholic Mission (RCM) activities started in Nigeria in 1948. According to Lekan Oyedejii, "The RCM opened girl's convent school in Abeokuta in 1886, St Agnes College Yaba Lagos for the training of women teachers in 1933. Soon, there were schools for girls, both primary and secondary in some other parts of southern Nigeria".