High Drop Out from School Among Girls in Tanzania
PROPOSED RESEARCH TITLE: HIGH DROP OUT FROM SCHOOL AMONG GIRLS IN TANZANIA
Abstract
Drop out from school among girls is a global phenomenon. In Tanzania, girl’s dropout from school for various reasons like early marriage, pregnancy, religious factors, socio-economic factors, school related factors and ill health. The focus of this research proposal is to investigate why girls dropout from school in Tanzania.
Introduction
Education enables girls to make their own decisions and to influence their families positively. Education saves and improves the lives of girls and women. It allows them greater control of their lives and provides them with skills to contribute to their societies.
UNICEF (2004) report indicates that girls’ education leads to more equitable development, stronger families, better services, better child health and effective participation in governance.
Despite the obvious benefits of Education to national development, research findings indicate that girls’ dropout rate from school is higher than that of boys. It observed that Tanzanian girls, for various reasons bordering on religious, cultural, socio-economic and school related factors, are not given a fair chance in the educational sector.
In Tanzania, about 7.3 million children do not go to school, of which 62% are girls (UNICEF 2004).
The same UNICEF report indicates that girls’ primary school completion rate is far behind that of boys, at 76% compared with 85% for boys. This gender gap means that millions more girls than boys are dropping out of school each year. This goes to show that the majority of children not in school are girls.
Mohammed (2004) equally reported that a girl may be withdrawn from school if a good marriage prospect arises. Early marriage is a sociocultural factor that hinders the girl child’s access to school. Some parents, in an attempt to protect their teenage daughters, give them out to wealthy old friends. Some of these girls who attempt to escape from such
Abstract
Drop out from school among girls is a global phenomenon. In Tanzania, girl’s dropout from school for various reasons like early marriage, pregnancy, religious factors, socio-economic factors, school related factors and ill health. The focus of this research proposal is to investigate why girls dropout from school in Tanzania.
Introduction
Education enables girls to make their own decisions and to influence their families positively. Education saves and improves the lives of girls and women. It allows them greater control of their lives and provides them with skills to contribute to their societies.
UNICEF (2004) report indicates that girls’ education leads to more equitable development, stronger families, better services, better child health and effective participation in governance.
Despite the obvious benefits of Education to national development, research findings indicate that girls’ dropout rate from school is higher than that of boys. It observed that Tanzanian girls, for various reasons bordering on religious, cultural, socio-economic and school related factors, are not given a fair chance in the educational sector.
In Tanzania, about 7.3 million children do not go to school, of which 62% are girls (UNICEF 2004).
The same UNICEF report indicates that girls’ primary school completion rate is far behind that of boys, at 76% compared with 85% for boys. This gender gap means that millions more girls than boys are dropping out of school each year. This goes to show that the majority of children not in school are girls.
Mohammed (2004) equally reported that a girl may be withdrawn from school if a good marriage prospect arises. Early marriage is a sociocultural factor that hinders the girl child’s access to school. Some parents, in an attempt to protect their teenage daughters, give them out to wealthy old friends. Some of these girls who attempt to escape from such
References: Alika, H.I. & Egbochuku, E.O. (2009). Vocational Interest, Counselling, Socio-economic Status and Age as Correlates of Re-entry of Girls into School in Edo State. Edo Journal of Counselling, Vol. 2 (1), 9-16. Mohammed, S.I. (2000). Female and girl child education in Nigeria. Proceedings of the Educational Mini Summit, held on 29th November 2000 at Abuja, Nigeria. UNICEF, (2004). The state of the world’s children. Girls Education and Development, 4, 34-35.