Culture as hindrance to girl’s access to higher education in Sop – Sop sub-county Tororo district.

Abstract

In Africa, girls and women endure work forms of violence of human rights than their male counterparts. This ranges from cultural, psychological, physical and sexual, exclusion from power and opportunities within and outside the family. This study examined the impact of cultural values and beliefs on girl-child education among the Jopadhola of Eastern Uganda. Instruments used were open ended questions, interviews guides and an observation checklist. Data was collected by means of focused group discussion, Key information interviews and observation. Data and information generated were compiled, fabulated, analyzed and presented along with conclusions and recommendations. The study found that girl child performs worse than the boy child in primary leaving examinations and that girl pupils were more likely to drop out or were more likely to drop out of school than the boy pupils. This was due to negative cultural values and beliefs that impact on the girl child Education including the view that girls were sources of wealth, replacement for the dead married sisters and were meant to marry while virgins in order to fetch more dowry. All these led to low concentration, retention, poor performance at school hence high dropout rates for the girl child as many end up marrying early or get unwanted pregnancy. The study drew conclusions that there were a number of cultural values and beliefs which impact on girl child education negatively. The study recommended that cultural leaders in Africa should gradually phase out traditional values and beliefs that impinge on the rights of the girl child.