Imam Imam
5 January 2009
analysis
Lagos — The problem of street hawking, especially by girls, in Zamfara State, has reached an alarming level.
However, the state government, with the help of the state Universal Basic Education Board, is set to confront the menace headlong.
The problem of girl-child street hawking, known locally as talla, has assumed gargantuan proportion especially in the northern part of the country. Majority of those girls abandon school and move about in streets selling items like food, drinks, fruits and the likes. Others however never had the opportunity of being in school at all.
Although Nigeria is endowed with rich natural resources and extensive human resources, the country has not developed the necessary technological, industrial, managerial and political know-how to pull its resources together in a sound economy to take care of the basic needs of its population. As a result, poverty and hard living conditions are prevalent, affecting children in particular. The country faces social upheaval, cultural conflict, gradual industrialisation and imperfect attempts at westernisation.
In an effort to tackle the menace, Zamfara State Government has adopted a document tinkered by the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) aimed at ensuring that the girls are off the street and back into classrooms.
Briefing journalists on the effort, Executive Chairman of the Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board, Alhaji Muhammad Aliyu Anka, said the female folk constitute more than half of the state's entire population of over three million people. It also has an estimated population of 619, 360 school age children, out of which 306, 360 are girls. Currently, he said the state has a total enrolment of 287,173 primary school children out of which 71,474 are girls. Anka said going by the figures available, the state has 322,465 children of school age that are not enrolled in schools, out of which 235,246, or 76 per cent, are girls.
Unfortunately, the problem of talla has been attributed as the single most important factor that prevents girls from being in school. The problem, experts said, is caused by poverty, lack of will from parents to have their children educated, and government's insensitivity to the plight of girls among others. The problem normally leads to high rate of rape and defilement of young girls by older men, spread of HIV/AIDS as well as bereave to the family of the affected girls.
In many instances, children in urban areas are quickly caught up in the daily struggle for survival and material gain. A situation analysis of child abuse and neglect in Nigeria conducted, found that child abandonment, sexual abuse, child neglect, vagrancy and kidnapping were the most reported forms of child abuse and neglect. In many instances, young girls and boys are sent from rural areas to families in the cities to serve as house-maids and house-boys.
A 1975 study by Izuora and Ebigbo which examined house-helps, found them to be of below-average intelligence and of lower intelligence than the children they looked after. This is thought to be due to the breakdown of the traditional foster culture which erodes children's avenues for personal growth. Children who work as house-helps may also be required either by their parents or by the families they serve to sell items of food, clothing and general merchandise on the streets. Thus they become part-time street traders and subject to many of the damaging aspects of street life.
In the UBE document on strategy to end the menace, massive enrolment of girls into schools has been suggested as the most important way to address the problem headlong. Among the challenges listed which prevent girls from being in school include low enrolment and retention pattern. Statistics available indicate that only 28 per cent of the overall state enrolments are girls. There is also the issue of high drop-out among girls.
Experts say such rate increase as girls advance up to primary four, five, and six, that when most girls reached puberty. Then there is the issue of lack of female teachers in rural schools to serve as role models. According to Anka, the numbers of female teachers in the state are far below expectation compared to their female counterparts. He said out of 7188 primary school teachers across the state in 2005, only 764 were female with a percentage of only 10.6. Likewise in 2006, out of 8317 primary school teachers in the state, only 1176 are female, representing 14.4 per cent. Another problem hindering the enrolment of girls into schools is limited access to continuing education. With this, there is virtually no provision for second chance opportunity to girls in the state.
However, the state government, in realising the dangers posed by the problem. It has deemed it necessary to intervene in the enhancement of girl-child education. In the first instance, a committee on girl-child education drive was inaugurated with the aim of boosting girls' enrolment figures into schools as well as outlining a long term strategy to end girl-child Street hawking in the state.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee which at the Government Girls Unity Secondary School Kotorkoshi, near Gusau, Nigeria's First Lady Hajiya Turai Yar'Adua said in order to help the girl child survive and reach her full potential, the Beijing Platform for Action recommended that governments, agencies and the private sector should collaborate to eliminate discrimination against girls in education, skill development and training.
She said Nigeria as a member of the United Nations Girls Education Initiative is playing a commendable role in the enhancement of the education and well-being of the girl-child in the country. She said as part of such efforts, the National Assembly, on July 31, 2003 enacted the Child Rights Act, which prescribes free and compulsory primary education for every Nigerian child. She however lamented that to date; only 15 states have domesticated the act.
According to the First Lady, "it is discouraging that an average of only 26 per cent of school age girls has been enrolled in primary schools in Zamfara state and more alarming that the enrolled girls are far less likely to complete their education. I urge the government of Zamfara state to continue to sensitise and mobilise the people on the need to eliminate negative cultural practices and attitudes against girls in order to achieve the desired Gender Equality in basic education.
Among the key strategies outlined to ensure that girls return to school include widening of girls' access to both formal and non-formal education. According to the UBE document, the state government should adopt the principles of girl-child friendly initiative in the provision of facilities and conveniences such as toilet for girls and fencing of all schools where girls are highly populated. Other recommendations include: establishment of more girls schools and such schools should be located as closely as possible to their homes to take care of various challenges that girls encounter on their way to school, such as sexual abuses, harassment, intensive advocacy and sensitisation of stakeholders.
Provision of UBE laws should be enforced on anybody who violates them; facilities should be provided so as to ensure qualitative teaching and learning practices; regular supervision of teachers in all schools across the state; establishment of school for continuing education in each local government area of the state to widen opportunity for second chance education for girls that dropped out of school; teaching of Islamic education in public schools go hand in hand with the teachings of secular education; and lastly, vocational training should be inculcated into primary schools for girls in primary four, five and six in order to keep them in school.
The UBE's effort has garnered support from the state Governor Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi. In a speech at the launching of the girl-child enrolment drive, the governor described girls as the beacon of hope of every society. "More than any other time, the need for educating the girl-child and safeguarding her future has become necessary in order to salvage humanity from looming danger of ignorance and moral decadence.
"Others are establishment of 15 female focal primary schools and provision of mid-day meals with a view to improve access, retention and completion for the girls; renovation of all girl-child schools with a view to making them girl-child friendly; and empowerment of women and girls to participate in small scale entrepreneurship through skills acquisition centres established state-wide for their overall socio-economic development," the governor emphasised.
According to the executive chairman of the Zamfara state UBE Board, no matter how good a government plan is, it needs the cooperation of all stakeholders, especially the parents, for it to succeed. He said despite the negative conceptions many parents have towards the project, their mindsets are gradually being changed. He said virtually the whole members of the society have clearly seen the dangers inherent in sending those girls to the streets, and are praising government for showing concern in ending the menace.
"We are happy because virtually every one in the state has realised the dangers faced by those girls. In this situation, our task is half done. What we will concentrate on, and I am happy the government is ahead of us in this regard, is the need to empower poor parents by getting them sources of income so as to discourage them from sending their girls on the street to hawk.
"The state government has introduced far-reaching poverty alleviation strategies which are gender-sensitive. Similarly, women are given equal opportunity in employment and their relevance is increasing by day in the overall scheme of things in the state. Our hope and prayer is that no one will lower his or her guard until we succeed in removing all school age children out of the street," he emphasised.
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