Changemakers.com est en pleine transformation et nous sommes en train de traduire le site. Certaines des fonctionnalités de la nouvelle plateforme ne sont actuellement disponibles qu'en anglais. Soyez patient s'il vous plait, nous mettons à jour le reste du site afin de mieux répondre à vos besoins. Merci!
Discussion about entry: Provision of fear free education to the girl child
This is discussion about Provision of fear free education to the girl child.
- Vous devez vous identifier ou créer un compte pour écrire des commentaires
Commentaires
The project will go toboost girls concentration when studying so that they are not worried and overstressed because they lack kits to ensure hygiene when in their menses.
Hi Margaret,
You've certainly hit on a problem that exists in schools not just in Uganda but also across Africa, and the drop out and absenteeism problem is a complex one. Besides the issue of embarrassment and fear, are there other factors that you think cause girls to drop out and miss school? And if so, how could your project be modified to maximize impact and ensure that the right set of barriers are being addressed?
Thank you for your entry!
Yuting
Thanks Yuting Lien for your comment. It's true the problem cuts across Africa. Apart from the fear and embarassment poor health conditions and culture still play a big role in deterring the girl child to complete her education. Many schools have very poor sanitary facilties, some toilets are not even worth the name. In addition to this some parents still think that a girl's place is in the kitchen and this leads to early marriges so as soon as a girl informs parents that she has started her menses, to many this is a tip off that she is ripe for marriage and should be married off. If she persists then there is the social stigma and the peer pressure as by the time she reaches Senior 3 many of her village agemates are already wives and mothers. I think that the provision of sanitary kits should go hand in hand with improvement of health conditions in schools by provision of good toilets, menstrual hygiene education and a countrywide campaign that stresses that: "Beginning of menses doesn't mean end to education" We can code name the campaign thus: HAVE YOUR MENSES AND STILL GO TO SCHOOL. Beginning of menses doesn't mean you are ready for marriage...
It is very important that both boys and girls feel safe and protected at school. However, could you tell us more about how your idea impacts girl students’ reading, writing and math skills?
Fran Holuba
Ashoka's Changemakers
Thanks Fran for your comment.
In order for a student to concentrate on the study of math, reading or writing that student must be prepared emotionally and psychologically. Anything that affects her emotionally or psychologically affects her concentration thereby hindering her learning capacity. Lack of proper sanitation kits for a girl during menstruation greatly affects her emotionally and psychologically. Another factor is absenteeism and dropout. Anything that makes the girl student irregular at school affects her study of Math, reading and writing. The situation is worsened when that girl has to dropout without finishing her math, reading, or writing course. So if we are to teach those skills effectively, we have to ensure that that girl child finishes her course and while at school, that she is emotionally and psychologically comfortable. My idea will go to achieve that.
Margaret, your innovation is very welcome because having menses should not hinder a girl from going to school. It’s a manifestation of normal body changes. I wish you could get figures to show the percentages of girls who do not go to school due to menses both in primary and secondary schools, it would give your idea much more weight. Secondly, you could also reach out to a few rural/badly hit schools to see the impact of supplying pads would cause to absenteeism instead of waiting for your school to take off.
Samuel, thanks for your comment. It is true that as many as 34,902 have dropped out of the free secondary education programme over the last two years according to Uganda's Ministry of Education. Records also show that only 54% of the girls complete Primary and only 25% of the girls complete Senior four ( Source: STATUS OF EDUCATION FOR RURAL PEOPLE IN UGANDA). What you are suggesting of reaching out to a few rural badly hit school is a wonderful idea but one has to ensure continuity in order to assess real impact. The organisation currently does not have enough finances to reachout for all those free Secondary education students who wouldn't have had chance to study had it not been for this free education and who are now dropping out because of lack of basic necessities like sanitary kits. The government only provides tuition fee, and parents are supposed to provide clothing, feeding, medical care, transport and all other needs of the child. These being children with poor parentage, providing those necessities is usually a problem.
This is wonderfull Margaret! I am glad you have the figures. About the number of schools/students to be researched on, you could just sample a few. Good luck.
Thanks Samuel. It is important to note that apart from the former District Chairman of Mubende Brig Kasirye Ggwanga who told the press earlier this year that he did survey in his district asking girls why they were not in school and established that the reason was the tree leaves they use during menstruation which are not ideal in the school situation, education administrators do not followup students who dropout to ask them why. So the figures I gave show how many girls dropout but the why is not stated in the report. What I would really like is to implement the idea to all girls attending free secondary education because they are the most affected. Assistance from the ministry of Education and people like you would really help.
Yes as soon as we get the necessary funds, we shall be of help. Keep in touch.
Yes as soon as we get the necessary funds, we shall be of help. Keep in touch.