The importance of Girl child Education in Africa

[Kofi]

If you educate a man, you educate only one person but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation. Nowadays Africans are beginning to see the importance of girl child education. In my country Ghana for example, the trend seems very encouraging. there are more girls in our secondary and tertiary institutions which is good. However, I think there is still more work to be done. The trend seems very encouraging in the big cities and towns but very sad in our villages. Girls in the villages across the continent are being denied access to formal education and I think something needs to be done to reverse the situation. Most people in the villages still go by the old ideas all in the name of tradition. they think that formal education is just for boys and not girls. They put boys in schools and girls in the kitchen which is very sad. What do you think?

[pasturel123]

I agree 100%. Women and girls in most 3rd world countries are on the bottom rung of the ladder when it comes to education.
There are a lot of dangers for the girl child in Africa. Probably more so in the rural areas than in the larger cities. By the time they are of school age it's probably too late to educate the girls of some of the harmful traditions that befall girls.
I'm talking mainly of FGM which some try to say it is required in their religion or that it's just our custom. Truthfully speaking genital mutilation has absolutely nothing to do with either of those. It may have some to do with being uninformed or uneducated but when you do something to hurt a child it can only be called horrible barbaric child abuse. And should be labeled as such and dealt with as such. And believe me that isn't just my opinion !!!

To label women superior to men is a baseless stereotype. I am a man and I feel that men and women should be able to pursue any objective they choose, including education, but an elevating women's education above men's will stir social tension. Why not pursue the goal of allowing the market of education to grow freely in African countries and allow those ambitious and determined individuals serve their own interest by receiving higher education and later higher pay.