WUNRN
SOUTH SUDAN - EARLY MARRIAGE OFTEN
ENDS GIRLS' EDUCATION
Alertnet // Julius Uma - 01 June 2011
By Julius Uma
JUBA (AlertNet) - It took years
of pleading before Jane Aketch persuaded her parents to send her to primary
school in the dusty bush of South Sudan's
Although her parents wanted her
to learn how to read and write, like most of the communities in Aketch's home
"Generally, in
Aketch said her sisters all
dropped out of school before completing their primary education.
"My parents didn't approve
of us going," she said, shyly looking away.
Yet boosting education will be
vital in developing
Schooling is poor across the
board in
For girls and women, it is even
worse. UNESCO, the United Nations' (U.N.) educational
and cultural organization, estimates that nine out of 10 women are illiterate.
VALUING THE 'GIRL-CHILD'
South Sudanese parents keep
their daughters away from school for many reasons. Sometimes, it is a
reluctance to send girls to mixed-gender schools. More often, a girl is
considered a source of wealth to her family for the "bride price" or
dowry she brings upon marriage, and so is married off at a young age.
In some communities, an
educated woman who carries a pen rather than a bundle of firewood is considered
a disgrace and by virtue of her education may attract a lower dowry.
"I was married off at a
very tender age," recalls Rosemary Ajith. "My parents were given so
many cows by my husband. Up to now, my younger sisters are not allowed to
attend school," she added. "They are often told to follow my example."
Although the tradition of
paying "bride price" is ancient, many South Sudanese women are now
calling for the practice to be abolished.
"Our communities have to
start valuing the importance of educating the 'girl-child' child," said
Julia Duany, undersecretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in
"Too much attachment to
some of the cultural norms that are negative towards girls will remain a
set-back to the girl-child education policy."
Lise Grande, the U.N. deputy
resident and humanitarian coordinator for
"If Southern Sudanese
women feel that dowry payment should be abolished from their societies, it's
upon them to take the lead in the struggle to achieve this," Grande said.
"That struggle will not be easy to achieve in reality."
GENDER GAP
Other major obstacles girls
face in gaining an education include sexual harassment, early pregnancy and
child-to-child, according to a 2008 study by the U.N. children's agency UNICEF.
The study, based on findings
from UNICEF's 2006 Rapid Assessment of Learning Spaces, also raised concerns
about poorly educated and trained staff handling expanding class sizes, limited
supervision at county and state levels as well as low motivation causing
teachers to quit the profession.
An estimated 340,000 children
were enrolled in primary schools at the time