Parental factors that impact girls’ attendance in post-primary education: the case of selected secondary schools in boyo division

Abstract

There is compelling evidence that parental factors significantly impact girls’ attendance in post-primary education. The disparity in the education of male and female youths is a global issue generally in developing countries and particularly Cameroon. Enhancing girl-child attendance in post-primary education is based on parental attitudes, parents’ level of education, socio-cultural and socio-economic factors. The purpose of the present study was to identify the parental factors that affect girls’ attendance in post-primary education in Boyo division and to explore the relationship between our study variables. The study reviewed literature based on four specific objectives; parents’ attitudes towards girl-child education, parents level of education as well as socio-cultural and socio-economic factors on girls’ attendance in post-primary education. The ecological systems, needs hierarchy and gender relation theories were used not only to substantially explain the position of parental participation in girls’ education but also to generate strategies to promote parents’ participation in their girl-children’s education. This qualitative study sought to explore secondary sources of data and to establish how parents in Boyo division were involved in their girl-children’s education. The descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. Semi-structured interviews (for parents) and the open-ended questionnaire (for girls) were used in this qualitative study covering four (4) post- primary schools. Respondents were selected through the use of chain reference sampling and sampling by case. A total of one hundred and thirty eight (338) participants were selected. The sample consisted of 50 parents and 338 girls who attended both the public and private secondary schools in Boyo division. Data were gathered from the participants via valid and reliable questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the background information of the participants. The Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was employed to explore whether there was a significant relationship between parental factors and girls’ attendance in post-primary education. The results revealed that parental factors affect girls’ attendance in post-primary education. Based on the discussions, conclusion is drawn and suggestions made on ways of bringing education to the doorstep of the girl- child in Cameroon. Girls’ attendance in education is influenced by parental factors. Parents actually indicated and revealed that parents’ related factors hindered girls’ attendance. It was recommended that parents should be willing to learn about how they could overcome the barriers in the participation of their girlchildren’s education. Girls should be given equal access as boys to education; there should beviii a legal support for girl-child education and government should empower parents to understand the importance of educating the girl-child