For a very long time girl child
empowerment has been synonymous with getting the girl child enrolled into
school or giving financial support in form of scholarship to enable the girl
child complete school. Other measures have been the re-entry policy where a
girl child who drops out of school due to pregnancy is allowed back to continue
school after giving birth.
However as focus shifts towards quality
education, the question still remains whether putting the girl child in school
is in itself enough empowerment. Most girls leave secondary schools still
ill-equipped in numeracy, literacy, critical thinking skills and other social
skills that equip them for their roles outside school. They still grapple with
finding their position in society as empowered girls because very little has
been done to develop their skills, values, attitudes and knowledge. Many leave
school still trapped in their cultural beliefs and traditions that the girl
child’s place is in the kitchen. They still believe that marriage gives them
social status hence many are not bothered with continuing with tertiary
education. Many still accept violence against them because of their beliefs in
being subservient to the men thus allowing gender based violence to go unabated.
The girl child still leaves school with a mindset that she has to depend on a
man for economic survival.
When girls leave school as adolescents
with such mindsets, then it cannot be argued that they have been empowered.
Their personal, social and economic skills have to be well developed in order
for them to find their place in society as empowered girls.
empowerment has been synonymous with getting the girl child enrolled into
school or giving financial support in form of scholarship to enable the girl
child complete school. Other measures have been the re-entry policy where a
girl child who drops out of school due to pregnancy is allowed back to continue
school after giving birth.
However as focus shifts towards quality
education, the question still remains whether putting the girl child in school
is in itself enough empowerment. Most girls leave secondary schools still
ill-equipped in numeracy, literacy, critical thinking skills and other social
skills that equip them for their roles outside school. They still grapple with
finding their position in society as empowered girls because very little has
been done to develop their skills, values, attitudes and knowledge. Many leave
school still trapped in their cultural beliefs and traditions that the girl
child’s place is in the kitchen. They still believe that marriage gives them
social status hence many are not bothered with continuing with tertiary
education. Many still accept violence against them because of their beliefs in
being subservient to the men thus allowing gender based violence to go unabated.
The girl child still leaves school with a mindset that she has to depend on a
man for economic survival.
When girls leave school as adolescents
with such mindsets, then it cannot be argued that they have been empowered.
Their personal, social and economic skills have to be well developed in order
for them to find their place in society as empowered girls.