24 Nov The Importance of Girls’ Education In Kenya
Of course, we want a world where every girl and boy get a great education. Since girls face many more challenges to getting an education than boys, we must strive to understand why, so we can confront and remove barriers, and take action to make sure all girls get the opportunity of an education in Kenya. The Importance of the Girl Child In Kenya cannot be understated.
Getting accurate statistics on girls in and out of school in Kenya is difficult. Easily, more than half of the girls in Kenya are getting little to no education. (our observation). In regions in Kenya that experience the high poverty rates and low levels of gender equality, as little as 19 percent of girls are enrolled in primary schools. In others, as few as one in 15 are enrolled in primary school. In rural Kenya, the percentage of girls getting married below the age of 18 is 30.5 percent. One in two girls is married by age 19. (Borgen Project)
Challenges of Girl’s Education in Kenya
- Many parents do not feel it is important for girls to be educated (our observation)
- In 2016 the U.N. reported that an estimated 1 in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa miss school during their menstrual cycle due to an inability to access affordable sanitary products (Borgen Project)
- Less than one in five girls make it to the end of primary school because of early marriage, female genital cutting, poverty and other factors (Borgen Project)
- Primary education is not free and leads to many children quitting school early. This is particularly worse for girls who are expected to marry early and join their husband’s family (Borgen Project)
- Primary school teachers tend to feel girls are not as smart as boys (our observation)
- When Mom needs a child to stay home for the day, she will ask the girl but not the boy. (our observation)
- Girls tend to score about 20% lower on the exam at the end of primary school (KCPE), because, due to no fault of their own, they have missed a lot of school (WSF Data)
Benefits of Girls’ Education in Kenya
- One year of secondary education for a girl in Kenya corresponds to an over 25 percent increase in wages; if girls were to finish their secondary education, child marriage would be reduced by at least 50 percent (Borgen Project)
- According to UNESCO data, if all females in developing countries completed primary education, child mortality would drop by a sixth, saving nearly one million lives annually. It would also reduce maternal deaths by two-thirds
- Every girl that receives an education is more likely to make education a priority for her children (Borgen Project)
- Girls’ education in Kenya has been posited as a “vaccine” against HIV/AIDS (United Nations)
- Women with a secondary education: (World Bank)
- Have a greater ability to make decisions in their household, including their own and their child’s health care
- Women with a secondary education are less likely to experience intimate partner violence
- Have healthier children who are less likely to be malnourished and who are more likely to go to school and learn
- Women invest up to 90% of their income back into their family, compared to an average of 30-40% among men
- When 10% more girls attend school, that country’s gross domestic product (GDP) increases by an average of 3% (USAID)
- If women farmers had the same access to resources as their male counterparts, the number of hungry people in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million (Concern Worldwide US)
Sponsor a Girl’s Education in Dago, Kenya
The Weiss Scholarship Foundation shows its commitment to girls being educated by always dividing our resources equally between girls and boys. We cannot end poverty or have peace unless girls are educated. Education is the only long-term sustainable solution to poverty. Believe we can create a world where every child gets a great education and that the Importance of the Girl Child In Kenya can’t be taken for granted. Learn more about our work: www.weissscholarshipfoundation.org Want to know more: brett@weissscholarshipfoundation.org
Brett Weiss – Founder and Director
Weiss Scholarship Foundation