THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF EDUCATIONAL IMBALANCE AMONG MALE AND FEMALE STUDENTS

 Abstract

The research work focused on the causes and effect of educational imbalance among male and female students in Uhunmwonde Local Area of Edo State. The research work consisted five chapters. The chapters entitles chapter one an introduction and scope of the study, chapter two covers the review of literature which entails the various causes and the effect of educational imbalance among male and female students. Chapter three examiners research methodology covering sampling procedure and method of data analysis. Chapter four covered the presentation of data analysis, chapter hold on the summary, conclusion, questionnaires structured questions asked during the oral interview and recommendations consequently. The research work was completed with bibliography slighted during the research work.

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

The education of children is an important duty of parents and government duty of parents and the government. The education process starts in the home, but it continues in school when children reach schools age. It is necessary to emphasize from the onset that the attempt here is analyze the causes and effect of educational imbalance is to acknowledge the fact that certain factors are responsible for the educational imbalance among male and female students in Uhunmwonde to be exact. A critical examination of these factors will give a clear understanding of the differences in the number of male and female in school. According to the national policy on education (1998_) the 6-3-3-4 programme starts when the child spend six years in primary schools three years in higher education. The national policy on education also recognized the importance of pre-primary education hence it urged parents to provide such education for their children. Parents generally wish to educate all their children whether they are poor or rich, educated or illiterate, they realize the immerge importance of school education. However, there are certain problems which make it difficult for parents to provide education for all the children. One of such problems is economic for financial problems in the home. Education is very expensive and many families are unable to provide the money to educate all the boys and girls children. If there is not enough money to send all the children which of the children to sent to school. The others are kept in the home to assist in farming, cooking and business, there are also culture and religions tradition and custom of the people, which influence the attitudes of parents towards the education of boys and girls for example, because male children in her it their fathers properties most Nigerians tribal families, the male are considered more important than the female children. Therefore, parents tend to make more effort to educate the boys than the girls. Moreover, the girls are expected to mature and leave their parents to live with their husband in the house, some parents feel that money spent on education of the boys is an investment for the further wealth of the family. For religious reasons, the female children in some Moslem families are not given easy freedom to attend school, this is to protect them from too much Muslim association with male. It protects them from the society. Another factor that influences the willingness of parents to send their children to schools is the availability of school near their house. In some part of the country there are not many schools. The school in the locality may be too far from home and there may be no transportation to go to school for safety reason, parents may decide not to take the risk of following the young children to walk the long distance to school. This is particularly the case if the child’s is a girl or the health of the child is not too good.

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Education is an instrument for the development of an individual and their society. It is so important that every person should be well educated. The problems of illiteracy and half education are so many that no parents should deny his or her child the opportunity or right to receive good education. But there are facts which militate against male and female enjoying the same unequal access to education. Some of these factors affect some parents and families more than other. The educational, cultural, religious or economical problems. The factors influencing educational imbalance likely to differ according to whether the child concerned is a male or a female, whenever a parents in not in a position to provide equal access to education for all his children, a choice has to be made which may be in favour of the male or female. The parent’s attitudes to the education of male and female we determine which of the children to send to school. In Nigeria society, the changes are that the boys will be favored more than the girls. The problems can lead to more illiterate or inadequately educated girls than boys in the community. It also amount to denial of the girl’s fundamental right for a better future life.