An Assessment of Girl-Child Access to Higher Education in Niger State: A Case Study of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai-Niger State

Abstract

Education is a transformation tool, an instrument of empowerment and manpower drive for national development and every child is entitled to equal opportunity to free and compulsory basic and higher education based on their individual ability. Although general enrolment into school has increased in Niger State has gone higher, access to higher education by girl children has not increased commensurably due to socio-cultural factors. The objective of this study is to examine the socio-cultural factors that are encumbering to girl-child access to higher education in Niger State. This study examines the girl-child marginalization with unequal access to higher education compared to her male counterpart. The study reveals that cultural practices serve as hindrance to female-child education and that inaccessibility of the female-child education makes her vulnerable to early marriage, denial of fundamental rights and child labour. The paper concluded that if female-child education is fostered, she would be self-reliant, adequately and appropriately socialized and well empowered to contribute meaningfully to the community as well as acquire skills of problem-solving to an appreciable extent. The paper therefore recommends that education should be made accessible to the female-child at all levels and awareness programme should be mounted to redeem the image of the female-child to make the world a better place for her to live.