FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO GIRLS DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL

Despite efforts to promote gender equality in Malawian schools, the school dropout rate of girls is still high.

The education Commission of the Catholics Bishop Conference in Malawi released figures indicating that more than 27, 000 girls dropped out of primary school in the country between the year 2010 and 2013 due to early marriages.

In February this year the Progressio ICS- Malawi alumni volunteers held a campaign on promoting girl child education at Nalipiri Primary school in Mulanje, which saw 10 girls dropping out of school because of pregnancies in the last academic year. During its second term this year the school has seen four girls dropping out of school because of pregnancies. Among other things pupils at the school said they end up dropping school because they lack basic needs like soap, exercise books and clothes which parents do not provide for them.

At this point, it left me wondering why it is only girls who are school dropout victims while boys also lack these basic needs. This prompted me to dig deep and find the main causes of this endless battle that is making a lot of girls quit school. Among other things I found that; there are some cultural practices in Malawi which impose constraints on girls primary and secondary education.

The perception that the benefits of education do not always translate into jobs coupled with the rising trend of unemployment have reduced the value of education to girls.

Finally, vulnerability to violence, HIV/AIDS and other diseases are major constraints. Again several Malawian schools have not developed girl-responsive secondary and primary schools that address issues of sexual harassment from teachers and boys.

Thus, it is important that the government should focus on changing cultural practices and other factors that hold back girls empowerment. Thumbs up for the just passed marriage bill that has seen the marriage age being raised from 15 to 18. But my question still remains, What about the tertiary education of these young men and women who are going to follow the marriage age the bill has presented? This is making me agree with some traditional leaders who are saying that the marriage age should be raised to 21 knowing that 18 is the age at which most people finish their secondary school education in Malawi thus still not able to support themselves financially.