Living in poverty will provide many disadvantages to education, especially for girls. When girls receive a quality of education, they see the benefits in all aspects of their lives. Without education, most girls are more likely to marry at a young age, have children early, and spend their lives in poverty. Due to getting a proper education, they may obtain opportunities to improve their own life, improve health, develop societies, grow economies, improve well-being and even end malnutrition. There are many obstacles in accessing education in poorer countries, such as not having a school or trained teacher for effective learning. Here are some barriers to education around the world and ways to overcome the barriers:
Cost
If families can’t afford school costs, they are more likely to send boys than girls. Many families are earning quite enough to support their children and cannot afford education for a girl child. According to the family, giving importance to the girls child education is seen as a waste of money. Poverty is one of the major elements that determine whether or not a girl can access education. Even in areas where parents don’t have to pay school fees, it can be not easy to keep up with transportation costs, textbooks, or uniforms.
Violence and security
Parents won’t allow their girl child to attend school due to the lack of security, and even they don’t want them to be educated. Sometimes parents keep their children home because the commute to and from school is unsafe, and the risk of attacks on girl’s schools is a serious concern. Girls may face other violence at the hands of teachers, peers, and other people in the school environment.
Child marriage
The marriage of a girl child under the age of 18 happens everywhere. Due to various reasons, parents force their daughters to child marriage. Some believe they are protecting their children from harm. But due to lack of educating the girl child leads to several complications such as early pregnancy, domestic violence, and malnourishment. In several places, the girl children are often pulled out of school at a critical age in their development.
Cultural norms and expectations
Educating a girl child would mean paying a heavier dowry for their marriage. The pursuit of education is not supported by the parents due to the burden of domestic responsibilities. The birth of the girl child has lowered in a few places. Most people in rural areas believe that education for a girl child is worthless. For these people, girls are supposed to stay at the house to take responsibility for household routines and get married at an early age.
Final thoughts
These are the barriers to girl education. While violence against children is unjustifiable, it is also preventable. Educating a girl child will solve many societal problems and because women will not tolerate atrocities upon them. Education helps the girl economically independent and also helps to know their rights and women empowerment. This helps girls to fight against the problem of gender inequality.