Research: Preferential Treatment of the Girl Child Has Led To Neglect of the Boy Child
The number of male students joining secondary schools in Kirinyaga has been reducing with most of them needing up in child labor.
Earning gotten from this is channeled to illicit liquor and narcotics.
According to stakeholders in education, overemphasis on the girl child’s education has led to the neglect of the boy-child.
This leads to most of them ending up in the bodaboda, miraa, and taxi businesses which are riddled with crime, cruel competition, and commercially unstable.
According to research done by the University of Nairobi scholar, Dr. Joeal Mwangi Wamichwe on the socio-economic factors affecting enrolment of the male student in public schools in the county, alcohol and substance abuse were the main stumbling blocks to the enrolment of male students in secondary schools in Kirinyaga County.
According to Dr. Wamichwe, despite the misleading belief that the county has a majority of the families being wealthy, poverty and low income in households have continued to negatively affect the transition of male learners from primary to secondary school.
It has also been revealed that illicit brews are consumed by both the young and the household heads, the scholar suggested that to curb the menace, stakeholders of education should urgently come together to find out why more and more young people are being attracted to production and consumption of the illicit brews instead of going to school.
Before starting the study, Dr. Wamichwe found out that male students’ enrolment in secondary schools was reducing gradually given the high number of primary schools in Kirinyaga County.
The study’s sample size involved 6,300 students who had progressed to secondary school from 190 primary schools who were interviewed. The students came from their homesteads, schools, and their places of work.
Among the factors that have influenced enrolment in schools are household incomes, parental education, parental occupation, availability of adult and youth-based activities, lack of educational resources, and the distance from school.
Over the years, research done by other scholars revealed the decline of enrolment of boys, as the girl-child is prioritized more often. Students who are supposed to join secondary schools in the coming months or years were leaving school to join illegal groups, and engage in illicit alcohol drinking, substance abuse, and criminal activities.
The study also revealed that the rates of dropouts and abandonment of secondary school education by male students had been worsened by the fact that fathers, rather than being role models, also engaged in the consumption of illicit brews.
This neglect of the boy-child had left them to cope with life all by themselves.
Dr. Wamichwe’s research further revealed that parents and guardians were hugely failing in their roles as the foremost caretakers.
He revealed that drunk parents or guardians might not be in the best mental state to improve their financial income as well as meet education obligations.
“The parent is the primary caretaker and plays a very crucial role in child enrolment by offering guidance and resources required at school. In a situation where the household is the consumer of illicit alcohol or drugs, the funds meant for education end up being spent there,” said Dr. Wamichwe.
Being exposed to alcohol-affected male secondary students’ participation in learning led them to miss attending school and eventually drop out, especially when they are caught breaking school rules because of poor judgment.
Some students were also identified as having directed their school fees and pocket money on vices, leading to frustration and eventually dropping out of school.
Just like much of the Kenyan population, low levels of employment among form four and college leavers have also seen the boy child seeing no reason to go to school if their elder brothers and sisters have nothing to show for their education. This also makes the community feel like they are wasting their money on education when there is no gain in the end.
“This scenario sends the wrong signal to the aspiring student who may be demotivated to stay in school,” said Dr. Wamichwe.
Family incomes largely affected enrolment and the completion of education by the boy child.
Higher household income and multiple income sources of household heads increased the possibility of male students remaining in school.
The managerial skills of headteachers and the distance of the school from home also had a positive influence on enrolment and retention of the boy-child in school. In addition, the further away the school is the less likely the boys will stay in the school.
Poor grades were also a contributing factor to this making some boys avoid or even abandon secondary education.
On parents’ education, less educated parents were found to be more likely to go soft on the boys regarding their children’s education.
Dr. Wamwiche recommended households be made aware of the importance of the boy child’s education via education meetings which should be made compulsory at the county level while heads of schools should come up with ways of promoting transition and completion rates among boys in secondary schools.
In addition, school managers also need to launch forums to motivate boys to pursue their secondary education until they complete it by utilizing guidance and counseling experts.
Boy-child welfare schemes were also recommended to highlight the negative impact of drugs and alcohol, especially through seminars, workshops, and mentorship forums.
Dr. Wamwiche suggested a total ban on child labor and intensification of campaigns against narcotics, drugs, and illicit alcohol.
He also recommended the promotion of protectionist policies that are intended for the boy-child as well as improving environmental conditions. This could be accomplished through a partnership of all stakeholders from the national to county levels and other non-state actors.
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