Government, NGO, work to change education

Over the years, the education of girl children has worried educationalists and government. Their concern is justified because the girl child has, for a long time, been denied equal access to education - her fundamental human right.

Traditional and cultural beliefs that relegate the girl child to a lower and inferior position in the home inevitably find their way into the school environment and become rooted there. This has resulted in the perception that a boy is more intelligent than a girl.

Because of this belief, most girls are denied opportunities to be educated or advance in their studies. In many families, particularly in rural areas, parents opt to educate their male children while they prepare their female children for marriage.

However, this negative trend that disadvantages the girl child is fading out, owing to the efforts of various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) aimed at uplifting the status of girls and women in society. One such organisation is the Forum for African Women Educationalists of Zambia (FAWEZA), the Zambian chapter of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE).

FAWEZA, whose primary objective is to improve girl child education, was formed in 1996. Since it's founding by the then-Education Minister Dr. Kabunda Kayongo, the forum has spread to all the provinces and many districts of Zambia. The organisation has since won accolades from the government for its contribution towards increasing access to education for the girl child.

Opening the FAWEZA Annual General Assembly in December last year, former Education Minister Reuben Musakabantu commended the organisation for the ''critical role that it plays in drawing the attention of government to the need to empower girls and women so that they participate meaningfully in the development of the country."

''As patron of FAWEZA, I take great pride in the work of these noble ladies and gentlemen who have committed their time and energy to work towards the advancement of female education,'' Musakabantu said. However, if HIV/AIDS is not controlled, efforts to improve access to education for the girl child will be futile, he said.

Musakabantu condemned cultural and traditional practices that hinder education, particularly for girls. ''I wish to draw attention to the traditional culture of many of our Zambian tribes which attach monetary value to every female child born in a family," he said. "This has resulted in forced marriages and a subsequent rise in adolescent pregnancy, prostitution, and even the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS among girls.''

Some cultural and traditional practices have long been identified as contributing significantly to the dropout rate and poor performance of both boys and girls in school. For instance, initiation ceremonies that require a boy or girl to be separated from the rest of the community tend to have a negative bearing on the education of both boys and girls.

In the Eastern province, research shows that some pupils stay away from school because they had to go and take part or watch traditional dances such as vinyau or vimbuza. ''If culture affects education negatively, lets fight it,'' the former minister said. Musakabantu also announced that the Ministry of Education plans to give girls who excel in science subjects priority in receiving bursaries. ''We intend to give women more opportunities, and the sky should be the limit.'' He also said that the government would appoint female teachers to more senior positions.

In a vote of thanks, Agnes Imonda, head teacher of Mukamambo Secondary School in Chongwe, a rural district about 50 km east of the capital Lusaka, commended the Ministry of Education for implementing the Basic Education Sub Sector Investment Programme (BESSIP), which she said has benefited many children, especially girls, in both urban and rural areas. "We thank the Ministry of Education for improving education standards through BESSIP and also appreciate you for recognising the fact that women are under represented in most positions of responsibility,'' Imonda said.

She hoped that the Teaching Service Commission would continue promoting women to decision-making positions. ''It is through such consideration that these women will become role models for the girl-child," she said. "They will encourage the girls to work hard as they will aspire to be like them.''