Elizabeth Schmitz-Robinson

Education in Africa for the Girl Child

           Many of the various countries on the continent of Africa rank among the poorest in the world. The ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic, over-crowding in cities, tribal warfare and despotic governments have contributed to the degeneration of this beautiful and wonderful land into a human rights catastrophe. At the center of this devestation is the girl child. Perhaps the most vulnerable and undervalued member of the world society, girl children in Africa are in all likelihood suffering to the greatest degree. In a region where many are struggling to get enough food to stay alive, remain out of reach of the various violent rebel armies, and to care for those stricken with various diseases, a basic education, especially for girl children, is low on the list of priorities.

          However, The Working Group on Girls NGO Committee on UNICEF identifies that "Education is the right of every girl everywhere and key to transforming her life and the life of her community. Without education, girls are denied the opportunity to develop their full potential and to play a productive and equal role in their families, their societies, their country and their world" ("The Right to Education and the Girl Child"). This right of education is frequently denied to girls in Africa. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, stated in a speech in Senegal, that in Africa, when families have to make a choice, due to limited resources, of educating either a girl child or a boy child, it is always the boy that is chosen to attend school. In Africa, many girls are prevented from getting the education entitled to them because families often send their daughters out to work at a young age, so that their family can get the additional income it may need to exist beyond subsistence level, and finance the education of sons ("UN Appeal for Girl's Education"). Sadly, Africa's patriarchal societal viewpoint favors boys over girls because boys bring dowries to the family wealth when they marry. Additional reasons for girls not getting an education in Africa include the fact that many have to stay home to nurse relatives with AIDS, that their mothers were not educated and feel that their daughters do not need education either, and finally, that the family does not believe in education for girls ("UN Appeal for Girls Education"). Also, in West African countries such as Ethiopia, it is not uncommon for girls to get married before the age of 7. Child brides face early pregnancy, responsibilities to their children and in-laws, and reticence of their husbands, who are usually much older, to let them out of the house, all of which combine to severely limit the educational opportunities for girls in Africa ("Child Marriage Fact Sheet"). Finally, that schools in Africa are often substandard, especially in rural and isolated areas, means that even the few girls lucky enough to get access to an education often receive one of poor quality and limited duration. Many schools in Africa are nearly destitute, with classes being held in crowded, poorly constructed structures, in which there is very limited access to paper and pencils, and even less access to text books and computers.

          Various church groups, such as St. Bridget's Parish in Seattle, have worked hard to improve the quality of education in African counties. St. Bridget's sponsors a race every year, called the Elephant Stampede, to support the school of their sister parish, Namitembo in Malawi, Africa. The Catholic culture of this parish community discourages early marriage for girls and promotes the importance of an education to girls. Before St. Bridget's adopted this parish school, the students had half a notebook and half a pencil for each school year. St. Bridget's sustained support of this parish that recognizes the rights of the girl child means that the quality of education for girls in this part of Malawi is much better than in other parts of Africa ("Elephant Stampede").

Various governments, such as the United Kingdom, have pledged to dedicate themselves to bettering the opportunities and qualities of girls' education, especially in sub-Saharan African countries. In 2005, the UK pledged ?1.4 billion to improve the conditions in schools for girls and to "launch...a three-year strategy to break down the barriers that prevent girls from getting even a basic primary education in some countries" (Curtis 2005).

 

          Although much has been done to improve the caliber and existence of girls' education in African countries, there is still much that needs to be done. The largest hurdle that needs to be overcome before all African girls can all get the education they deserve is the prevailing social thought that discourages or minimizes the importance of an education for girls. To stop this, countries in Africa need to pass laws banning the early marriage practices that keep girls out of school. Finally, African governments must pass legislation that makes the education of girls mandatory for primary school, and then enforce these laws stringently in the rural communities.

         To help to develop girls' education in Africa, all US SNJM schools should team up to form an African Outreach Coalition that would serve as an curriculum model, a monetary resource and a sister organization to girls' schools all over Africa. Each SNJM high school should be matched with a sister school, for which they should raise money each year to improve the African facilities and provide them with computers, textbooks and high quality teachers. Each year, each SNJM high school should send at least two teachers over to the sister school for nine months, to help the administration develop an effective and high-quality curriculum and to serve as teachers of English in these schools. Likewise, the US SNJM schools should invite at least 2 girls for each grade from the African sister schools to come over and receive an education in the SNJM school for one year, while living with a host family of a senior student. This would greatly increase the opportunities and quality of education for girls in Africa, as well as increase the global solidarity consciousness of US SNJM students

                                                                                      Works Cited
"Child Marriage Fact Sheet." State of World Population, 2005. 2005. United Nations Population Fund. 08 Oct. 2006 <www.unfpa.org>.  Curtis, Polly. "?1.4bn Pledge to Get Girls Into School." Guardian
Unlimited. 26 Jan. 2006. Guardian Newspapers. 08 Oct. 2006 <http://education.guardian.co.uk>.
"Elephant Stampede." Fundraisers. 30 Jun. 2006. St. Bridget's Parish. 08
            Oct. 2006 <www.stbridgetschurch.org>. "UN Appeal for Girls' Education." World: Africa. 26 Apr. 2006. BBC News. 08
            Oct. 2006 <http://news.bbc.co.uk>.

 "The Right to Education and the Girl Child." Girls' Situations. May 2006. The Working Group on Girls. 08 Oct. 2006  

           <www.girlsrights.org/girls.php>.