Education and girl-child empowerment : the case of Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo district in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Education is a human right. It is guaranteed under the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child. This convention is the most widely ratified international treaty in the world today. Ghana has ratified the Convention on the Rights of a child and makes education a Constitutional right. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana guarantees Free and Compulsory Basic Education to every child of school going age irrespective of gender, religion, ethnicity or geographical location. Yet, ‘Basic Education for All’ is still very far from being a reality for many children, particularly the girl-child. This study emphasizes that a major barrier to girl-child access and participation in formal education is the cultural and traditional values and the daily realities of poverty stand between girls and their prospects for educational opportunities. Traditional beliefs, practices and sayings perpetuate gender imbalance in terms of educational attainments. This paper argues that the education of girl-child would improve their life chances, and also enhance the welfare of their households, thus its resultant benefit of the girl-child being empowered. In the light of these challenges in the girl-child education, this paper further brings to the fore the efforts of a growing number of NGOs and international agencies complementing the government’s efforts in the Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo in promoting greater participation towards girl-child education. This study shows that early marriage is somewhat a reality among many of the target girls for this study. Girls are also more likely to drop out of school because of their domestic responsibilities. The study also shows that girls are often discriminated against when it comes to parents’ decision to fund their wards education. In the light of this, the study makes the following recommendation towards improving girl-child education: Educating parents on girls’ education, Abolition of schools fees and other related at the Junior High School level, enforcement of laws on early marriages, enforcement of laws on child labor, expansion school feeding programme and Engagement of men and civic groups as advocates for girls' education.