THE KEY TO DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: FEMALE

EDUCATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Education is a tool for any economy’s long-term development (Olomukoro,

2012). There have been calls in the last two decades for women to be more

active in guaranteeing a country’s long-term development. Despite the fact

that a study found that roughly two-thirds of women are illiterate, and the

same is true for females who have dropped out of school. Women (females)

must, nevertheless, have a high-quality education in order to contribute to

long-term development. Fortunately, females make up a larger proportion of

Nigeria’s population; consequently, in order for them to participate in the

country’s development, women must be literate (UNESCO, 2002). This

takes us to the truth that if half of a country’s population (females) is

discriminated against or uneducated, the country’s long-term development

would be harmed. Educating a country’s ladies is one of the ways to invest

in that country’s future, as the adage goes, “if you train a lady, you train the

nation.” If certain restrictions are removed, women will actively engage in

the country’s social, political, and economic development on a national and

international level (Okojie, 2011). Females were formerly stereotyped as

constantly being in the kitchen, based on traditional Nigerian ideas,

preventing them from working in other areas of the economy. Despite this

constraint, women nevertheless fought to participate in the country’s

economic realm, engaging in agricultural pursuits at a higher rate than males

(Ponte, 2006). Discrimination against women has resulted in poverty,

denying them of access to education, training, and health care. The domain

of education is one of the most evident areas of discrimination against

women, and this is due to the fact that they do not have access to education.

It has been demonstrated that with excellent education and empowerment,

women can contribute to the nation’s socioeconomic development

(Adeniran, 2009). Against this backdrop, attempts have been undertaken in

recent years in Nigeria to increase female education. Campaigns by non-

governmental organizations (NGOs) in the south and north of Nigeria to

promote female education and to convince state governments in the north to

support female education are evidence of this. The creation of girls’ schools

around the country is one of the campaign’s good outcomes. Despite all of

these important indicators, female education continues to lag behind male

education. Many women have not been adequately empowered to participate

to national development; they are still traumatized, and as a result, nearly

70% of the 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty are women

(Onwubiko, 2012). Poverty means that these women’s fundamental needs

are not satisfied, that their voices are not heard, that opportunities are denied,

and that their rights are violated. The Millennium Development Aims

(MDGs) went a step further in one of its goals, emphasizing the importance

of women’s education through empowering women. Nigeria’s National

Policy on Women was adopted in 2000 in order to increase female

participation in the country’s social and political arenas in order to achieve

national development (Olomukoro, 2012). Despite the fact that Nigerian

tradition discourages female education, the existence of civilization (formal

education) is assisting in filling the void created, allowing women to enter

the country’s employment. This research focuses on the key to Nigeria’s

development: female education. This study emphasizes the importance of

female education to Nigeria’s long-term development.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

For more than two decades, the issue of female education has been a hot

topic on both the national and international stage (Oyitso, 2010). This

impact is hampered by a number of factors, including: Poverty and

economic issues: due to Nigeria’s high degree of poverty, female youngsters

are sometimes sent to hawk in order to support for the family’s basic

requirements. Cultural and religious biases: Many Nigerian parents believe

that enrolling girls in schools is a waste of money, and that only boys should

be enrolled. In addition, some Islamic parents misunderstand the concept of

Islam when it comes to female education. Early Marriage and Teenage

Pregnancy: Many parents believe that education is not important for their

female offspring, therefore they marry them off young.

Read Too: Importance of Early Childhood Education on the Mental

Development of Children in Schools in Yagba West Lga of Kogi State

Furthermore, adolescent pregnancy causes girls to drop out of school. These

are some of the challenges linked with female education in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Female Education in Nigeria: The Key to Development is the study’s main

goal. Other particular goals include:

i. Investigating the strong link between female education and Nigeria’s

GDP.

ii. To determine the obstacles to female education in Nigeria.

iii. Make recommendations on strategies to improve female education in

Nigeria.

iv. Assess how effective the media has been in promoting female education

in Nigeria.

v. To find out what proportion of Nigerian women are educated.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study will be guided by the following research questions:

i. What is the strong link between female education and Nigeria’s GDP?

ii. What are the obstacles to female education in Nigeria?

iii. What are the recommendations on strategies to improve female

education in Nigeria?

iv. How effective is the media in promoting female education in Nigeria?

v. What is the proportion of Nigerian women educated?

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H1: There is no significant relationship between female education and

Nigeria’s GDP.
H2: There is no significant relationship between challenges of girl child

education and their educational attainment

H3: There is no significant relationship between media and girl child

education

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research aims to educate, inform, and enlighten the general public,

government officials, and policymakers on the relevance of female

education in attaining national development. Its goal is to raise awareness

among parents about the significance of sending their female children to

school. The study’s goal is to remind the Nigerian government that it has a

role to play in guaranteeing female education in the country. Females should

be required to attend education in Nigeria, and this should be made a law.

This research will be extremely useful to other researchers who want to learn

more about this issue, and it may also be utilized by non-researchers to

expand on their own work. This research adds to the body of knowledge and

might be used as a model for future research.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The focus of this research is on female education in Nigeria, which is critical

to the country’s progress.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

FEMALE EDUCATION: This term refers to any type of education that

attempts to improve women’s and girls’ knowledge and skills. General

education in schools and colleges, vocational and technical education,

professional education, health education, and so on are all included.

Women’s education is divided into two categories: literary and non-literary

education.

DEVELOPMENT: This is the process through which someone or something

matures, changes, and improves.

UNESCO (UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND

CULTURAL ORGANIZATION): UNESCO is a United Nations (UN)

specialized organization situated in Paris. Its stated goal is to promote

international cooperation via educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in

order to strengthen global respect for justice, the rule of law, and human

rights, as well as the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the United Nations

Charter.

The MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs) are a United

Nations program. The Millennium Development Objectives (MDGs) were a

set of eight worldwide development goals for the year 2015 that were
formed after the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 and the

passage of the Millennium Declaration.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Concept Of education

The Concept of education Offorma (2009) defines education as the

process of providing information to an inexperienced person to help

him/her develop physically, mentally, socially emotionally, spiritually,

politically and economically. According to her, the fact that at graduation

ceremonies, one hears the vice-chancellors pronounce the words while

awarding degrees to their institutions graduates ―you have been found

worthy in character and learning‖ can be attributed to the definition of

education as given above. She added that it means that the individual has

acquired adequate and appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and values,

known as cognitive, psychomotor and effective behaviours to be able to

function optimally as a citizen. These behaviours are the focus of training

individuals in institutions of learning.

 According to Chidebulu (2010), education is a process of cognitive,

effective and psycho motive development of an individual with a view to

moulding the individual for a total contribution to the development of the

community and the promotion of cultural heritage. This means that if one is

educated, he tends to develop himself and become productive in the society,

thereby promoting his cultural heritage.

Furthermore, according to Whitehead, ―education is the acquisition

of the art of the utilization of knowledge‖, that is, education is not just

acquiring knowledge but the utilization of knowledge acquired for the

benefit of the society (Whitehead Cited in Oladipo, 2007.

To Gowon (2007), education is a process and system of providing

information, knowledge, skills and training with an aim of changing a

condition and situation. The change expected is usually positive in nature,

and the education could be formal or informal. This definition is crucial in

the case of Nigerian women whose condition needs to be changed for socio-

economic transformation.

2.2 The concept of girl child education

The concept of girl-child education incorporates the necessary

attitude, cultural and behavioural training which parents give to their

daughters at home to enable them become useful, resourceful and respectful

citizens of their countries. It also includes the functional teaching or training

in skills acquisition which many girls undertake in the shades of seamstress

or in computer training centers, weaving/fashion designing centers as well as

catering and interior decoration centers, etc. Most importantly, the concept is

over specialized and highly controlled trainings acquired in schools, colleges

and other institutions of higher learning, (Chidebelu, 2009).

Ejikeme (2000) captured this fact when he said that denying

girlchildren access to early childhood education makes them socially

excluded, creating room for them to grow up to become illiterate women in

later life and be classified as disadvantaged candidates for adult education,

women empowerment programmes and other women rescue remedial or

support programmes that smack off underdevelopment Unfortunately, the

right of a girl-child to access quality education has been denied and there are

consequences. Though some of the challenges are deeply rooted in our

traditional background, they have affected the society at large. Mangvwat,

(2005) agree with this when she says that operation and discrimination

against women and girls have been so deeply ingrained, for so long in

virtually every culture.

2.3 Concept of Gender Inequality

 According to Mangvwat, (2005) gender disparity in education is the

most pervasive violation of human rights. Its forms, according to her, are

both subtle and blatant, and its impact on the socio-economic, political and

cultural development of the people of a nation is profound. She also said that

a number of factors have been identified as being responsible for the low

enrolment, poor retention rate, poor performance and general neglect of the

girl-child in early childhood education programme. Samuel, (2010) in

agreement with Mangvwat above highlighted some key challenges of girl-

child education. Certain inequalities and segregations, which have been

established over the ages and reinforced though female dominated structure,

still persist in spite of even the various instruments of the United Nations

and the concerted efforts of the Federal Government to alleviating women

discrimination (Olakuleim, 2006). The above statement recognized gender

disparity in school enrolment as of one of the girl-child education

2.4 Benefits of Girl-Child Education

Education has special benefits for girls, both when they are young

and later as adult women. The influence on child bearing patterns is one of

the most important pathways through which education affects the lives of

girls and women. Educated women tend to marry later, have fewer children

and are likely to understand what they must do to protect themselves and
their families from many diseases. Manvwat and Abama (1992), cited in

Mangvwat (2010) observed that there is a link between educated mothers

and the survival of their children. An educated mother is most likely to know

that she and her children can be safe from such preventable diseases as

polio, measles, diphtheria and diarrhea through immunization.

In specific terms, education can lead to many benefits, mortality,

improvement of child nutrition and health, lower fertility rates, enhancement

of women‘s domestic role and their participation in the domain of politics,

improvement of economic productivity and growth and protection of girls

from HIV/AIDs, abuse and exploitation. Investment in girls education most

likely will yield some of the highest returns on all development investment

by generating both private and social benefits that accrue to individuals,

families and society at large (Idoko, 2009). It has also been established that

the benefits of girls-education includes economic productivity, social

development, intergenerational education, social equity and sustainability of

development effort.

2.5 Education and Economic Development

Most economists probably agreed that it is the human resource of a

nation, not its capital nor its material resources that ultimately determine the
character and pace of its economic and social development. A representative

version of this position has been expounded by Professor Frederick Harbson

who argues that:

Human resources constitute the ultimate

basis for the wealth of nation. Capital

and natural resources are passive factor

of production, human being are the

active agents who accumulate capital,

exploit natural resources, build social,

economic and political organizations,

and carry forward national develop the

skills and political organizations, and

carry forward national development.

Clearly, a country which is unable to

develop the skills and knowledge of its

people and to utilize them effectively in

the economy will be unable to develop

anything else.

Therefore, the principal institutional mechanism for developing

human skills and knowledge is the formal education and development. It is

appropriate to have a proper grasp of what development itself connotes; in

the words of Dennis Goult, It matters little how much information we

possess about development if we have not grasped its inner meanings (In

Todaro, 1992). At this juncture however, it is well to note that the concept of

development in all-encompassing phenomenon since it touches on various

disciplines; but the core issue in development is economic that involves

education which forms the core of this study. In most civilized countries of

the world, the most important instrument for achieving a sustainable national

development is education. This view is also true of Nigeria in relation to the

pursuit of national development as it is documented in the National Policy

on Education (NPE, 1981 Revised) which states in point thus:

The Federal Government of Nigeria has

adopted education on an instrument per

excellent affecting national

development….

In catalyzing national development, formal education has multiple

functions to perform. The most important among these functions is that it

creates well-educated people who will bring their talents, knowledge, skills,

and experiences to bear as they function in various capacities in the

economic and social development of the nation (Ukeje, 1986). In his further
analysis, he posited that all the types and levels of formal education are

rightly considered as ―a form of investment in the infrastructure of the

changing society and economy‖. Through schools, pupils also acquire

attitude for vocational efficiency and consequently, for economic

development. He also stressed that the ultimate goal of economic

development is the welfare of the individuals and the society at large. In our

society, one cannot really succeed in achieving the welfare of the individuals

without first giving the right type and amount of education to the individual.

As reiterated earlier in the study, education is the means of developing the

array of skills, attitude and knowledge necessary for overall development.

So a great and dynamic economy is not possible devoid of education.

2.6 Effects of girl education on Social Development

Girl child education leads to significant social development. Some of

the most notable social benefits include decreased fertility rates and lower

infant mortality rates, and lower maternal mortality rates. Closing the gender

gap in education also increases gender equality, which is considered

important both in itself and because it ensures equal rights and opportunities

for people regardless of gender. Girl child education has cognitive benefits

for women as well. Improved cognitive abilities increase the quality of life

for women and also lead to other benefits. One example of this is the fact
that educated girl are better able to make decisions related to health, both for

themselves and their children.

Cognitive abilities also translate to increased political participation

among women. Educated girl are more likely to engage in civic

participation and attend political meetings, and there are several instances in

which educated women in the developing world were able to secure benefits

for themselves through political movements.

Evidence also points to an increased likelihood of democratic

governance in countries with well-educated women. There are also benefits

relating to the woman's role in the household. Educated women have been

found to experience less domestic violence, regardless of other social status

indicators like employment status. Women with an education are also more

involved in the decision-making process of the family and report making

more decisions over a given time period. In particular, these benefits extend

to economic decisions. Besides the intrinsic value of increasing a woman's

agency, having women play a more active role in the family also brings

about social benefits for family members. In a household where the mother

is educated, children and especially girls are more likely to attend school.

2.5 Factors that Inhibit the Education of girl child in Nigeria

 As earlier posited, women play a significant role in sustaining the

efficiency of the various sectors of the country. The economic, political,

social and religious sectors of the economy will perform better when women

are involved in managing the affairs of the various sectors of the economy.

This will assist the nation in achieving quicker and better national

objectives. However, there are so many factors that have hindered the

education of women in order to empower them to contribute meaningfully to

the sustainable development of the nation. Some of these factors include but

is not limited to the following:

Cultural Beliefs: The African culture over the years has relegated the

position of women into that of a home tender. This belief system has been

upheld by various societies and has contributed to the slow progress

recorded by women both nationally and internationally. According to

Shinaba (2008) cultural beliefs in the past suggest that training a woman was

just a waste of time and resources. This has contributed to the unwillingness

of parents, communities and the nation at large from providing an enabling

environment for women education to thrive. Based on the little attention

given to women education due to various cultural beliefs in our society,

women have been derived the opportunity for the acquisition of formal

education at all levels. This has resulted in a wide disparity between the
number of males and females who are undergoing various programmes in

the various educational institutions across the country

Low Self-Esteem: According to Glover (2000) most women have failed to

pick up science and technology related tasks even though they possess the

needed intellectual ability. They have deliberately shied away from

responsibilities that they also have the capacity to execute. Women all over

the country have passionately embraced the position of a home tender which

society has relinquished to them. Very few women are willing to rise up and

compete with the men in areas where they have comparative advantage. This

is due to the low self esteem that has been developed by them. Most women

have viewed themselves as being incapacitated even in activities where they

would have performed well due to fear of failure. Women believe that they

do not have the strength, intellect and political will that the men posses and

as such it becomes unnecessary to compete with them. This has made most

women to ignore the need to further their education as they view it as a

waste of time and other precious resources.

Fear of Dominance: Another factor that has inhibited the drive for the

education of women in the country is the fear of domination by their male

counterpart. Anugwom (2009) stated that “men see themselves as the

rightful owners of the formal economic sector and abundant socio-cultural

practices support this. It appears that the will and possibility of succeeding

in the society is solely reserved for the men. Therefore, most men fear that

when women are given the opportunity to acquire the needed education, it

may imply that they may have to relinquish some of their positions to the

women in the society. Women in the society have been deprived the

opportunity for quality formal education as this may mean that the men will

have to share their political, economic, social and cultural privileges with

women in the society.

Insufficient Infrastructures: Infrastructures play a significant role in the

provision of quality education in any nation. The availability of appropriate

infrastructures such as school library, classrooms, workshops, laboratories,

electricity, water supply etc contributes to effectiveness of the school

system. Similarly, women have certain infrastructures that need to be put in

place in order for them to learn effectively in the school system.

Infrastructures that will boost their entrepreneurial skill, home management

skill need to be put in place in order to make schooling interesting to them.

Also, there are certain facilities that enable women to learn effectively in any

school system. This includes sanitary facilities, home management facilities

among others. However, when these infrastructures are not available,

meaningful teaching and learning may not take place for them. Insecurity:
The level of insecurity in the nation has affected the educational sector as a

whole. However, the worse hit is women who are already marginalized in

the past and are unable to defend themselves in the time of crisis and

violence. Most parents would prefer their children to attend schools were

security is guaranteed. Also, with the increasing level of insecurity in the

country. Students both male and female alike have been deprived the

privilege of acquiring education of their choice. According to Odebode

(2013) insecurity in the north has led to the death of 70 teachers, 100

students with thousand of teachers and students fleeing for safety. This has

compounded the problem of inaccessible education in the country both for

male and female students in the country. Despite the prevalence of the

security challenges in the country, the male students have been able to

manage the situation than the female. More female students have therefore

been deprived the opportunity of going to school for fear of insecurity

around the country.

Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment at all levels of education in the

country is more pronounced between male teachers and female students. In

the same way, the type of job secured by women is dependent on the type of

education acquired. Women are therefore exposed the most to sexual

harassment both in school and at work. Leathwood (2005) noted that the
preference for different job types contribute to sexual enticement in selected

job types. With more male teachers in the educational sector, there is bound

to be an increase in the level of sexual harassment between male teachers

and female students than the other way round. This has contributed to the

more reasons why most girls especially in the north have been deprived the

opportunity of attending formal education as this may serve as an avenue for

the married women around them to be exposed to sexual advances from their

male teachers. This has contributed to the more reason why some men would

prefer their wives to be housekeepers rather than undergo any form of

formal education.

2.8 The Role of Girl Child Education in Ensuring Sustainable

Development in Nigeria

There are various ways through which women can contribute to the

development of the nation. Based on some of the special qualities possessed

by women, a lot can be benefited from them if given the opportunity to be

educated. Some of the benefits that can be derived from women education

towards a sustainable development are:

Quality Leadership: According to the report of Shinaba (2008) abuse of

power, violations of human rights, mismanagement of national resources and

under development are the order of the day for the past four decades that
men have been in power. Similarly, the period in which men have been in

power have been characterized by gross inequality and violence. However,

as managers of the home, it is expected that if women are given the

opportunity, they will be able to implement their managerial skills in the

management of the various sectors of the economy. The quality of

leadership that will be provided by women will be such that would be

characterized with equality, peace, transparency and protection of human

right. All of these qualities are very important in building a stable nation.

Increase in GDP: The World Bank in White (2013) pointed out that if the

gap between male and female employment is closed, it would help to

increase GDP When girl child are given the opportunity to be educated, it

will help to increase the workforce of the nation. Similarly, the activities of

women in the various economic sectors of the economy have the potential of

contributing to an increased GDP. This is because their contribution will

help to argument the effort of their male counterpart in securing a higher

GDP. Building of a Healthy Nation: The health condition of the citizens is

one of the factors that determine the lifespan of the masses. In the same way,

the lifespan of the citizens is one of the factors that determine the level of

development. Orji (2011) noted that girl education vis-à-vis women

education stands as one of the potent tools for reducing girls’ vulnerability.
A healthy nation has also being linked to a wealthy nation. Similarly

Kingdon (2002) noted that doubling the female secondary school enrolment

ratio from 19% to 38% in 1975 helped to reduce infant deaths in 1985 by

64%. The education of girl child is therefore closely related to raising a

healthy generation that would be empowered to contribute significantly to

national development. Women in the society are usually known for their

cleanliness and have the capacity of building a healthy nation.

Reduced Dependency Rate: The education of girl child is one of the ways

of reducing the level of dependency in the nation. The empowerment of

women through education will assist in reducing the pressure on economic

resources in the country. This will help to sustain the economic resources in

the country towards the path of development. Similarly, empowering women

through education would also enable them to become self sufficient

individuals. They would be equipped to learn and develop various means by

which they can meet up with personal and societal needs. This will help to

reduce the pressure on national resources and also reduce dependency level

on their sponsors.

Resource Management: Women all over the world are known to be better

managers than their male counterpart. The prudent management of resources

helps to reduce wastage and increase economic benefit from available

resources. When women are properly educated, it helps them to put their

managerial skill into use and help manage national economic resources for

the benefit of all. It is therefore advisable that women should be empowered

through formal education on how they can harness their management

abilities for the long term benefit of all citizens in the country.

2.9 Ways to Improve Girl Child Education in Nigeria

Various educational stakeholders have continued to re-iterate the need

to improve on girl child education in the country as a way of empowering

women in the society. The education of girl has been linked to have a

positive relationship with national development. It is therefore needful that

girl child education be given the needed attention in the society. Some of the

ways through which girl child education can be improved in the country

include the following:

Ensuring Gender Equality in Admission Process: According to

occupational statistics provided by Wikipedia (2013) female workers in

some identified professions were as follow: architects 2.4%, quantity

surveyors 3.5%, lawyers/jurists 25.4%, lecturers 11.8%, obstetricians and

gynecologists 8.4%, pediatricians 33.3%, and media practitioners 18.3%.

This is an indication that the method of admission into various courses in

most of the nation’s higher institutions is gender sensitive. Most of the

tertiary institutions in the country reserve some courses basically for the men

against their female counterparts. Some of these courses are areas where

women can either perform better or compete favorably with their male

counterpart. As a way of improving women education in the country, more

women need to be given equal opportunity during admission to study

courses of their choices. The method of admission in higher institutions

should be gender friendly and give women the opportunity to acquire higher

education in a course and institution of their choice.

Provision of Educational Grants: Although all persons interested in

acquiring formal education in the country should be given the opportunity to

do so, however, more female students should be given educational grants as

a way of encouraging them to further their education to higher levels. In the

face of the disparity that already exists in the ratio of boys to girls in most of

the educational systems in the country, more female students should be

provided with financial support as a way of bridging the differences in

education at all levels. Female students can be provided with educational

grants that will help them complete their education or provided with

financial encouragement in the form of stipends that will assist them to study

comfortably in any institution of their choice. This will help to increase the

interest of more women to acquire formal education just like their male
counterpart. Proper Legislation: The level of disparity between the male

and female child has been in existence for so long. Various authors have

identified the fact that the African tradition naturally places more importance

to the male child than the female child. However, Nasir (2002) also noted

that the inability of women to acquire education and contribute to the

independence of Nigeria also contributes to the slow progress of women

education. It is therefore necessary that proper policies be formulated and

implemented that will protect the female child from cultural and

contemporary beliefs. The various arms of government should be ready to

stand up and defend the rights of women when such right is being eroded

and abused. When appropriate laws are put in place, it will go a long way in

overcoming all barriers that limit the girl child from acquiring quality

education just like other citizens in the country.

Employment of Quality Female Teachers: One of the ways of

encouraging more women to acquire formal education is by providing a

sufficient number of female teachers in most of the schools across the

country. Majority of the schools in the country are occupied by male

teachers who may not understand or give the needed attention for the female

child to excel in school. Similarly, there are increasing cases of female

students being sexually harassed by their male teachers. Most female

students need female teachers who would serve as role models to them in the

school system. It is therefore needful that more female teachers be employed

in the various educational levels in the country so as to encourage the female

child to demand for and willingly acquire formal education at the various

levels.

Provision of Appropriate Infrastructures: Women education in the

country is so sensitive that it requires the provision of appropriate facilities

for it to succeed. Male students are naturally wired to succeed under pressure

in meeting life goals including that of education. This case is not so with

women. Women require a well organized environment for them to learn

effectively. According to OECD DAC (2004) infrastructures for women

education should be able to achieve the following:

• Increase women’s economic opportunities

• Provide appropriate services to women.

• Actively involve and empower women.

• Encourage women to take up decision making and leadership roles.

• Improve girls and women’s access to education and health care.

• Eliminate discrimination against girls and women.

 It is through the provision of quality infrastructures that the essence of

girl child education can be achieved. These infrastructures will help girl to

learn meaningfully and also put the knowledge acquired into productive use

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

For the purpose of the study, survey research method was adopted.

This is because the research study surveys the impact of female Education

on key development of Education in Kaduna Local Government area of

Kaduna State.

3.2 Research Design

The methodology for this study is survey. The study is to Survey

Method which is aimed at collecting samples from a population in

order to examine the distribution incidence and interaction of the

phenomenon in the study. The study used survey research method,

because it provide equal chance for the people to participate in the

study and give out their opinion on a given issue of public interest.

According to Onwukwe (2011), survey research is concerned with the

collection of data for the purpose of describing and interpreting a certain

condition, practice, beliefs, attitudes, etc. The purpose is usually to describe

systematically the facts, qualities or characteristics of a given

population, events, or areas of interest concerning the problem under

investigation.

Questionnaire was used to reach out to the population of study. The

population of this study is the Social Studies and Political Science

department student‘s level 300.

3.3 Population of Study

The population of study consists of students in department of Social

Studies Federal College of Education kaduna. In this study the population

was stratified into two that is Department of Social Studies. The population

as given by their Department coordinator are 1,700 from which

simple random sampling techniques was adopted by selecting 100

students from both levels to represent the others.

3.4 Sample and Sampling technique

 A total of One Hundred (100) Students were selected from the

population which represented 0.54 percent of the population. Stratified

sampling technique was employed to have a fair representation from each

level of students.

3.5 Instrumentation for Data Collection

A self designed questionnaire is use for collecting data for this study.

The questionnaire was divided into two sections; A and B. section “A”

contained information about the respondents’ personal data and section “B”

contained questions based on the focus of the study.

3.6 Validity of the Instrument

The questionnaire was validated by the researcher by taking it to the

supervisor and other lectures in the department of Social Studies of Federal

College of Education, Kudana. The questionnaire was tagged “Impact of

Female Education on Economic Development of kaduna Local Government

area of Kaduna State” (kMMPW).

3.7 Reliability of the Instrument: The instrument is reliable by using

test and re-test method.

3.8 Data Collection Procedure

 The Questionnaire where to be distributed to the respondents by the

research and collect it back immediately after filling, for adequate retune of

the questionnaire.

3.9 Statistical Analysis Procedure

The responses of the respondents were collected and used simple

percentage to test the research question setup in chapter one.

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF

RESULTS.

4.1. Introduction

This chapter presents a general description of the research variables

and the results of the data analyses in line with the four null hypotheses that

were tested in the study. The interpretations and discussions of findings are

presented below:

4.2. Data Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation

Table 1: Department of the respondents

S/ Variable Frequency Percentage

N
 1 Social Studies 60 60%

2 Political Science 40 40%

Total 100 100%

The table above shows that 60 respondents representing 60% of the

respondents are from Social Studies department while, 40 respondents

representing 40% of the respondents are from political Science department.

Table 2: Age Distribution of the Respondents

S/ Variable Frequency Percentage

1 15-16 31 31%

2 17-18 46 46%

3 19-20 15 15%

4 21-22 5 5%

5 23 years and above 3 3%

Total 100 100%

It was reveled in the table above shows that 31 respondents

representing 31% of the respondents are within the age range of 15-16, 46

respondents representing 46% are within the range of 17-18, 15 respondents

representing 15% are with the age range of 19-20 and 5 respondents
representing 5% of the respondents are within the range of 21-22 and 3

respondents representing 3%of the respondents are within the age range of

23 years and above.

Table 3 Sex Distribution of the Respondents

S/ Variable Frequency Percentage

1 Male 70 70%

2 Female 30 30%

Total 100 100%

The above table shows that male respondents are more than female

counter part, male are with 70 respondents representing 70% while female

are with 30 respondents representing 30%.

TABLE 3: Educational Level of Respondent

S/ Variable Frequency Percentage

1 300 60 60%

2 200 30 30%

3 100 10 10%

Total 100 100%

 The above table reveals that, 60 respondents representing 60% of the

respondents are in 300 hundred levels, 30 respondents representing 30% are

in two hundred while 10 respondents representing 10% of the respondents

are in 100 levels. This is to so that majority of the respondents are final

year’s students.

Table 4 Marital Status

S/N Variable Frequency Percentage

1 Single 90 90%

2 Married 10 10%

Total 100 100%

The table above indicate that 90 respondents representing 90% of total

respondents are single while only 10 respondents representing 10% of the

respondents are married, this shows that majority of the respondents are

single because the sample of the research are students.

4.3 Answers to Research Questions

Research question 1: What is the significant relationship between girl child

education and Nigeria’s GDP?

Table 5

SA A % D % SD % %

%
 Female education can 70 70 23 23 3 3% 4 4% 100

contribute to economic % % %

development of Nigeria

Female education can 57 57 34 34 7 7% 0 0% 100

create of Job % % %

opportunities for

females in Nigeria

The table shows that 70% of the respondents strongly agreed that

Female education can contribute to economic development of Nigeria, 23%

agree with the concept, 3% disagrees with it while 4% strongly disagreed,

that female education can contribute to economic development of Nigeria.

The table also revealed that 57% of the respondents strongly agreed that

Female education can create of Job opportunities for females in Nigeria,

34% of the respondent agreed with the concept. 7% of the respondent

disagreed, none strongly disagreed. Going by the responses of the

respondents it can be concluded that the hypothesis number one which says

that there is no significant relationship between female education and

Nigeria’s GDP is accepted.

Research question 2: What are the challenges of girl child education in

Nigeria?
Table 6

SA % A % D % SD % %

Parents Educational 65 65% 15 15% 14 14% 6 6% 100%

Background

contribute to poor

enrollment of female

education in Nigeria

Religion belief is one 49 49% 47 47% 4 4% 0 0% 100%

of the challenge of

Female Education in

Nigeria

High rate of poverty 48 48% 36 36% 4 4% 6 6% 100%

contribute to female

education in Nigeria

Cultural belief 45 45% 35 35% 13 13% 7 7% 100%

contribute to poor

female education in

Nigeria

Table 6 shows that 65% of the respondents strongly agreed that

Parents Educational Background contribute to poor enrollment of female

education in Nigeria, 15% supported in the agreement, 14% of the

respondents disagreed while 6% of the respondents strongly disagreed.

The Table also revealed that 49% of the respondent strongly agreed

that High rate of poverty contribute to female education in Nigeria, 47%

disagreed with the statement while 4% of the respondents strongly disagreed

and none of the respondents disagree with the statement.

The Table further revealed that 48% of the respondents strongly

agreed that Cultural belief contribute to poor female education in Nigeria,

36% agrees another 4% disagreed and 6% of the respondents strongly

disagreed with the statement.

From the table above it can be generalized that hypothesis number

two stated in chapter one which stated that “There is no significant

relationship between challenges of girl child education and their educational

attainment” is rejected, this imply that there is significant relationship

between challenges of girl child education and their educational attainment.

Research Question 3: Has the media contributed in promoting girl child

education in Nigeria

Table 7

SA A % D % SD % %

%
 Mass media contribute 73 73 20 20 3 3% 4 4% 100

in reduction of gender % % %

inequality in enrolment

of female education in

Nigeria

Radio station always 7 7% 10 10 43 43 40 40 100

reaching against female % % % %

education in Nigeria

The table shows that 73% of the respondents strongly agreed that

Mass media contribute in reduction of gender inequality in enrolment of

female education in Nigeria, 20% agree with the statement, 3% disagrees

with it while 4% strongly disagreed Mass media contribute in reduction of

gender inequality in enrolment of female education in Nigeria.

The table also revealed that 7% of the respondents strongly agreed

that Radio station always reaching against female education in Nigeria, 10%

of the respondent agreed with the concept. 43% of the respondent disagreed,

while 40% strongly disagreed that Radio station always reaching against

female education in Nigeria. Going by the responses of the respondents it

can be concluded that the hypothesis number three which says that There is

no significant relationship between media and girl child education is

rejected, this imply that there is a significant relationship between media and

female education in Nigeria.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Introduction

This chapter looks at the following sub-headings:

Summary

Conclusion and

Recommendations

5.2 Summary
 This study was carried out to examine the impacts of female child

education on key Development of Kaduna Local Government, Area of

Kaduna state. The following specific objectives were clearly stated to:

Other specific objectives include:

i. To examine the significant relationship between girl child education and

Nigeria’s GDP.

ii. To identify the challenges of girl child education in Nigeria.

iii. To suggest ways of improving girl child education in Nigeria.

iv. To examine the percentage of girl child in Nigeria who are educated.

5.3 Conclusion

Girl-child education in kaduna LGA and Nigeria at large will continue

to trail the boy-child education if the necessary policy actions are not put in

place. The inability to address the issue will further widen the gender gap in

education. Moreover, the desired level of development in Kaduna LGA can

only be attained when girl-child education is given adequate attention. In

this respect, policies, programmes and strategies that can enhance the

participation of girl-child in formal education should be pursued with vigour.

Girl-child education is of great importance.

5.4 Recommendations

The following recommendations are made on the need to encourage

and intensify efforts to improve girl-child education, particularly in Kaduna

LGA: Government at all levels should take appropriate, legislative,

budgetary and other necessary measures towards the full realization of the

right of every child to free quality education, especially the girl-child.

Government and non-governmental organization(s) should

immediately commence a child-seeking mapping exercise with communities

and schools participating to seek out children out of school, determine why

they are out of school and bring them back to school.

Much more than just implementing laws and policies to encourage

girl-child education, provision for greater option by investing in girls and

supporting their families.

Gender disparities should be reduced to the barest minimum through

gender budgeting, which involves budgeting to maximize programmes‘ that

have an impact on girls/women.

The Government must intensify efforts to discourage childlabour

through education.
Early marriages which rob the girl-child of any academic pursuits must be

discouraged.

The self-esteem of the girl-child should be boosted to allow for

optimized potentials particularly within the kaduna LGA.

Adequate and sustained advocacy for the girl-child by female

organizations and women in leadership will help in bridging the gap in girl-

child education.

Constructive engagement of community leaders, town criers and

urban elites who have very close contact with the gender groups should be

intensified.

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Appendix I

Section A: Demographic characteristics of the Respondents

Instructions: kindly tick (√) the appropriate column as applicable for you

1. Department: Social Studies ( ) Political Science ( )

2. Sex of the Respondent: Male ( ) Female ( )

3. Level: 100 ( ) 200 ( ) 300 ( )

4. Age of the Respondents: 15-16 ( ) 17-18 ( ) 19-20 ( ) 21-22 ( ) 23

and above ( )

Section B: ITEM BASE ON RESEARCH TOPIC

S/N ITEMS SA A SD D

5. Parents Educational Background

contribute to poor enrollment of female

 education in Nigeria

6. Religious believes is one of the

challenges of Female Education in

Nigeria

7. Female education can contribute to

economic development of Nigeria

8. Female education creates Job

opportunities for females in Nigeria

9. Female education contributes to

economic development of Nigeria

10. High rate of poverty contributes to female

education in Nigeria

11. Cultural believes contributes to poor

female education in Nigeria

12. Mass media contributes in reduction of

gender inequality in enrolment of female

education in Nigeria

13. Radio station always preaching against

female education in Nigeria