ATTITUDE OF PARENTS TOWARDS FEMALE EDUCATION IN UHUNMWONDE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF STUDY

The attitude of parents towards female education is a topic many people frown at in the developing and undeveloped countries. It is regarded of them as taboo that female education is very important to enable matured persons especially parents acquint themselves with the efficacy of female education in the position sense.

Female education has been misunderstood by many as a means of sexual harassment due to ignorance.        The topic is considered to be paramount, as well as an important mechanism because secondary schools and higher institution of learning in our country Nigeria have been plaque with the problems of poor moral decadence among females in academics. Attempts have been made to define female education as parenthood education, education for effective or hygienic living with feminine gender as an integral Inseparable part of the individual. Female education helps the individual to develop the fullest creative skills as sexual human being at all stages of life.

As the name implies, it is perceived as the provision of female awareness or knowledge to people in the conceptual nitty gritty, female education is a comprehensive programme of individual development right from infancy to the declining year.

It is a programme designed to produce fully and charismatic desirable attitudes, values and moral behaviors amongst female, therefore the concepts of female education is broad in scope as it encompasses family and society. Teenagers in the society as well as children want to know about sex. Traditionally, children are supposed to receive information about the dangers of sex from their parents but many parents do not instruct their children about sex at all.

Eyitayo (2005) observed female education as those aspects of the curriculum whether from all or information which loyalty encompasses such topics as an anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system sexually transmitted disease or appropriate social aspects of sexuality.

In my own view, female education is designed to give correct and adequate factual information and understanding of problem of sex as its expressing development and functions.

The provision of female education is vital because the norms guiding sexual act has been broken by those societal norms, sex through parent’s teachers or counsellors and education will provide information for improving behavior and establishing personality in our society. This information should be given to all the teenagers for our children to know about sex.

Female education is concerned with the mechanics of personality and character development as well as sex information and the techniques of sex act.

Adolescence age which starts from about the age of twelve to about twenty years is a period of transition from one point of rapid physical changes or conflicting motive and expectation to another and to maturity.  It is a time by which someone undergoes dramatic changes physically, socially and emotionally. In the way of entering into adolescents is exciting after all it means that one his way to become an adult. Teenagers who experience physiological changes should quite appropriately learn more about female education.

In the period of the adolescents changes takes place in the body to prepare you for sexual reproduction which takes years to complete and it affects more than the development of reproductive organs.

Girls usually start puberty between 10 to 12 with an increase in the hormone levels, notably of estrogens in girls that transformations that follows; in this period, changes which occurs begins by having monthly discharge of blood secretions and tissues debris from the uterus.

The menstrual period is usually accompanied by cramps as a dropping hormones level growth of pigmented body; Hair breast development and enlargement of pelvic girdle.

These changes causes certain amount of anxiety, insecurity and self consciousness for adolescents situation is further complicated by a lack of correct information above the normal processes of maturity and the range of which changes occurs.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The researcher intends to find out the problems that could bring solution to female education in Uhunmwonde local government area of Edo state. It has been observed that parents attitude toward female education had created a great gap between the masculine and feminine counterparts in the society. It is believed that this project work will fill this gap. Female education being a controversial and debatable topic have made some parents to avoid communication or not given information concerning this topic to their children this is because of fear that their children might go lay wire onto practicing sex after they have been taught.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions were posed for the study;

1.    Does the teaching of female education make teenagers become juvenile delinquents and drop out of school?

2.    Does the teaching of female education encourage promiscuity?

3.    Should female education be taught at home or at school?

4.    Should female education be encouraged and incorporated into the school curriculum?

5.    Should parent’s teacher attitude be a pivoted tool in the teaching of female education?

6.    Does moral belief and ethics affect the teaching of female education?

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

To enlighten and educate the parents on the need to encourage the teaching of female education and change their attitude positively towards the growth and development of great teenagers for nation building and development

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will enable our female youths to cope with their developmental task of becoming responsible women in future, it will also give correct and factual information and understanding of the effect and implication of despising female education and to assist parents, mothers and fathers inclusive on the need to acquaint sibling on the essence of female education for a brighter tomorrow.

The nation stands to gain from it because it will promote good family planning which will of course reduce the population rate.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this research is limited to schools in Uhunmwonde local government area in Edo state. The study will cover five secondary schools, some selected parents above.

DEFINITION OF TERMS 

Adolescence: it is the stage of life between childhood and adulthood. It is a time in which some one undergoes drastic changes physically.

Education: this is the acquisition of skills and attitude which change individual to become distinct personality in the society and it also makes an individual to impact knowledge from unknown to known.

Taboo: a cultural or religions custom that does not allow people to do, use or talk, does not occur above a particular thing as people finds it offensive.

Puberty: this is the period of onset of sexual maturity, it the change that takes place in the body to prepare somebody for in hormone reproduction.

It is also the increase in hormone levels notable of oestrogen and progesterone in girls.