Gender and Sexual Studies: Case Study of the Education System in Sudan - Essay Example

?Gender and Sexual Studies: Case Study of the Education System in Sudan Introduction This essay seeks to answer the question on the importance of gender equality in development. In order to get a deeper understanding of the issue, the paper makes reference to the issue of the education system in Sudan. Typically, girls and women have less chances to better their lives and contribute towards development. This is owing to the fact that they are restricted with regards to their education and contribution towards other important sectors of the economy. Owing to the fact that women are nearly half of the population, inadequate access to education negatively affects the socioeconomic performance in a country (UNESCO, 2011). Past studies have shown that countries that present equal opportunities for both boys and girls to access education boast of having a higher level of development. Overview of the Education System in Sudan In 2011, South Sudan became an independent nation (UNESCO, 2011). The country has been faced by increasing challenges such as poor infrastructure, increased cases of gender inequality, a poorly developed education system and political instability. Education plays a key role in building a better future for the nation. Dr John Garang, one of the founding fathers of nation emphasised on need to improve economic development through education (UNESCO, 2011). However, the country starts at the bottom of the global league when it comes to the young girls. It is noted with a lot of concern that Sudan has the lowest primary school enrolment rates, the widest gender disparities and the highest disparity rates. The number of children attending primary school is low and only a minimal percentage of the students are girls. This is made worse by the limited financial resources, high levels of insecurity, weak institutions and high poverty levels. Establishment of a successful education system that provides quality education to all will transform the lives of the citizens. In addition to, it will give a powerful force towards human development, peace and prosperity. The education system in Sudan is wanting from the statistics conducted by the UN and other international bodies. To start with, the adult literacy rate is currently 27 percent and nearly 70 percent of the children between the ages of six to seventeen years have never been a classroom (UNESCO, 2011). The completion rate of primary school education is one of the worst in the world and it is less than 10 percent. One of the greatest challenges facing the education system is gender equality because only 33 percent of the girls attend primary school. The rate of access to secondary education and pre- primary education is even worse (UNESCO, 2011). Only 44, 027 of the children are in high schools and 2 percent of the pre- schoolchildren go through the early childhood development education system (UNESCO, 2011). This is made worse by the increased demand for education by the children returning to the country since the restoration of peace in the region since 2010 (UNESCO, 2011). It can be noted that the system is already under resourced and stretched and has to keep up with the growing number of children and this mounts increasing pressure on the limited capacity and resources. It has been observed that education and gender equality are the major concerns for the Sudanese people (Foster et al., 2010). Previous studies show that education is an important aspect for the peace agreement in the country. The government and the citizens are taking positive steps to improve the education system in the country. This is by improving access to books and other learning materials, building classrooms and provision of qualified teachers. How and why Gender is Important in Development related to Education in Sudan Gender is important is development related to education is Sudan based on various reasons. To begin with, women have been left out in most development issues in Sudan including business, education and other sectors. Encouraging more girls to join the education sector will give women better chances to participate in development issues. Gender is important in education owing to the limited number of girls attending school and completing their education. Gender is also important in education development as it helps develop efforts to increase the number of female teachers and this encourages more girls to enroll in school. Finally, gender is important in development of the education system in Sudan as it one of the best ways of achieving overall growth and development in the youngest nation in Africa (UNESCO, 2011). Factors Contributing to Gender Inequality in the Education System There are numerous factors contributing to the gender inequality in the education system. First, access to basic education is limited. The enrolment rate for both genders for primary school education is approximately 46 percent (UNESCO, 2011). It has been observed that children who are born in Sudan are more likely to die before the age of five years. In other words, there are high mortality rates in Sudan. The number of children out of school has increased in the recent past due to the return of refugees in the country after the return of peace and calm in the region. The number of children out of school is estimated to be 1.3 million. It has been observed that the school dropout rate in the country is very high. This can be attributed to early marriages and female gender mutilation. Young girls are subjected to marriage at a young age. Therefore, most of the children who enrol for primary school fail to complete the full cycle. In the year 2010, 426, 000 children enrolled for first grade while there were only 117,000 in fifth grade and 22,000 in eighth grade (UNESCO, 2011). Young girls specifically face a higher number of disadvantages than young boys. As earlier explained, the number of girls enrolling for school is lower in comparison to that of the boys. In addition to, their dropout rate is higher. The statistics are alarming since for every 20 girls enrolling for first grade, just 11 make it to third grade and only one makes it to eighth grade (UNESCO, 2011). There are higher chances for young girls to die while pregnant or in childbirth or drop out of school than they are likely to access basic education. Gender inequality patterns vary across different regions in the country. For instance, the gender inequality rate is relatively low in three Equatorial states that have some of the lowest enrolment rates and in Upper Nile. Conversely, lesser rates of gender inequality have higher enrolment rates. On the other hand, the link between enrolment rates and gender inequality is not clearly defined. Areas that have enrolment rates above the national average including Unity, Lakes, Warrap and North Bahr- El- Ghazi have been observed to have twice the number of boys enrolling for school than the number of girls (UNESCO, 2011). These statics underscore the importance of putting in place policies that are aimed at improving the enrolment rates for girls and incentives that promote girls’ education (Multidonor Trust Fund Office Gateway, 2011). Measures should be taken to fight the high chances of adult illiteracy among the women. It has been estimated that only 8 percent of the women in the country are literate, this is probably the lowest female literacy race globally. Most children in Sudan enrol for school late and this contributes to high chances of school dropout rates. In fact, only a minimal percentage of the children are in their appropriate age. 90 percent of the children are over age (UNESCO, 2011). This adversely affects the rate of girls completing the full cycle of the primary education as most of them dropout to get married or owing to early pregnancies. Society places extensive responsibilities on adolescent girls as stipulated by the labour division system. Previous studies have shown that a strong link exists between delayed enrolment and high dropout rates. Only a few of the children who enrol in primary school make it to secondary school. It is approximated that only one out of ten children who enrol for school go through the complete cycle and half the number of girls are likely to make it through the system as boys. This means that the number of girls that make it through high school is considerably low. The average gross enrolment ratio is 4 percent however; it varies across the states (UNESCO, 2011). In 2010, only 34000 children were enrolled in high school and only 1600 made it to the final grade. Girls make up only a third of the high school population in the final grade (UNESCO, 2011). This is a sign of the status of the physical and human infrastructure in the education system. They also reflect the overly under- reported level of the education challenge that is against the government. Statistics on the enrolment and school attendance rates emphasize the challenges facing gender equality in the education system in the country (Poole and Primrose, 2010). South Sudan recently became an independent state and places education and gender equality at the centre stage of its development agenda. The country holds immense potential and could have higher rates of enrolment for both boys and girls. The number of teachers in the education system is insufficient. It is true that no education system is enhanced than its teachers and this shows the need for hiring an adequate number of well-trained teachers. Making sure that children have access to qualified teachers ensures motivation and reconstruction in the education system. Owing to the increase in the enrolment rate since the peace agreement was established in 2005, the ratio of pupils to teachers has increased to 53: 1 (UNESCO, 2011). These statistics make several aspects of the teacher deficit difficult to understand. It is noted with a lot of concern that there is a deficit of female teachers in the education system. In fact, only 12 percent of the overall work force is female. The general absence of female teachers in the education further draws attention to the gender inequalities in the education system (UNESCO, 2011). Data from other countries shows that the strong presence of female teachers is an important factor in determining the level of enrolment rate among the girls, the completion and achievement levels. Motivated and qualified teachers can contribute positively to the education system in Sudan; the learning environment also plays an important role. Most of the schools in the country are in a poor state and this adversely affects the enrolment rates. However, the number of classrooms has increased considerably since the signing of the peace agreement in 2005 (UNESCO, 2011). Nearly 5000 structures were constructed between 2008 and 2010 that enabled the absorption of the students’ surge lowering the pupil classroom ratio from 194:1 to 134: 1 (UNESCO, 2011). Furthermore, the number of permanent classrooms has been growing over the years. Despite this, most children are still learning in semi- permanent structures, tents and in the open air. In addition to, around thirty percent of the schools in Sudan do not have access to latrines, health care centres and safe drinking water (UNESCO, 2011). The other major concern affecting the education system in the country is the lack of sufficient learning materials including textbooks and pens. Textbook shortages affect the quality of education in the system. This problem is compounded by the problems associated with learning in mother tongue. Course of Action to Improve Gender Inequality in the Education System The education system in Sudan is a work in progress and can be improved through school and classroom construction, improving the provision of textbooks and other learning materials, increased teacher training and teacher recruitment. The government should come up with a well- established education sector strategy. There should be identification of cost effective partnerships and solutions to the rampant problems facing the education sector. The government should work towards narrowing the disparities between the regions with regards to enrolment rates and funding. There should be strong monitoring and data collection in the education system to evaluate performance and areas that are in need of change (UNESCO, 2011). Girls should be encouraged to join school at an early age and this minimises the dropout rate in future. The government should look for sources of financing such as donor aid to enable improved funding of the education system. Finally, the government should prioritise on the training and recruitment of female teachers to encourage higher enrolment rates for girls. Conclusion In summary, it is clear that gender inequality is present in the education system in Sudan as depicted in the low enrolment rates among girls and high dropout rates. This can be attributed to various factors including lack of adequate teachers, a conducive learning environment and poor funding of the education system (Brophy, 2007). It will take the combined effort of the government and other stakeholders in the education sector to achieve gender equality in the education sector. References Brophy, M. (2007) Harmonizing the delivery of aid for education: the MDTF in Southern Sudan. Conference paper for the 9th UKFIET international conference on education and development. CfBT Education Trust. Foster, M., Bennett, J., Brusset, E. & Kluyskens, J. (2010) Evaluation of DFID country programmes: country study Sudan2005-08, DFID Evaluation Department/ITAD. Multidonor Trust Fund Office Gateway (2011) Trust Fund Factsheet: Sudan Recovery Fund for Southern Sudan, UNDP. Viewed . Poole, L. and Primrose, J. (2010) Southern Sudan: funding according to need global humanitarian assistance. (Briefing paper) UNESCO. (2011) Building a better future: Education for independent South Sudan. Viewed . Read More