Publication:

Social cultural factors affecting girl child education In Nyachichi sub-loctaion, Manga district, Nyamira county

Education is Widely recognized as the key to the nation‘s development. An increase in access retention and quality of education relative to the national population is critical to social economic growth and productivity, increased individual earning and subsequently reduce income inequalities. It also contributes significantly to improved health, reduction of poverty enhanced democracy, good governance and effective leadership has been characterized by gender disparities at the national level and between the various regions in favor of males. Despite the wide acknowledge of the girl child, the bulk of African women and girls continue to be excluded from the education systems of their countries either having not been enrolled or dropping out of school before the completion of the specified cycle. Various schools and out of school factors combine to lower the academic performance and career aspirations of the girls even when they remain in school. Hereby limiting chances for good quality life of adults(FAWE 1994) According to FAWE 1994 UNICEF 2000,in their journal educating girls reports that out of 1000million who have never accessed primary education ,62% are girls Africa as a continent contributes to about 26 million of illiterate girls. This is interpreted that for every three women in Africa two are not educated. Kenya is one of the developing countries in the sub-Saharan Africa and thus contributes largely to those percentages of nation of the uneducated women. At independence Kenya’s main objective among others was to fight ignorance. Almost fifty years down the lane its objective is yet to be realized as many of school age going children have not been enrolled in school and many of this enrolled are or have already dropped out of school. As one loams the street of Nairobi, Kisii, Kisumu, and other big towns and even local shopping centres in rural areas there is evidence of many youths who should be in school but are not. Majority of these girls hence there is need to focus the study on why they don’t attend school and find out some cultural factors that make others drop out of school before completing primary school education. Considering all the benefits of educating women, summers 1992 concluded that investment in the girl child education may well be the highest return on investment available in the developing world. The economic and social benefits of providing universal primary education and eliminating gender disparities are widely recognized. Speaking at the launch of a non governmental report on girls education in march U.N secretary General Kofi Annan UN secretary general.Despite the benefits it was only at the 1990 education for all conference in jomtien,Thailand that a global commitment to universal primary education and gender parity was adopted (see Africa Recovery July) 2000.The targets agreed at Jomtien were adopted by the UN millennium Assembly a decade later and become the MDGs Education