THE ATTITUDE OF PARENTS TOWARDS THE EDUCATION OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN EGOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Egor Local Government Area is one of the eighteen local government area in Edo State. The major occupation of the inhabitants if farming and this makes them view the education of their female children as irrelevant but rather, female should help their parents for domestic work so that they can be good house wives in future. In Egor Local Government Area it is also observed that parents pay little or not attention to the education of their female children. Education is the total process through which an individual acquires knowledge; skills and abilities to enable him or her contribute positively towards the meaningful development of the society. It is also an individual’s opportunity for employment, earning and status. An access to education is one key opportunity and should be made available not only to male but also to females. In recent times, women in Egor Local Government Area have strived to gain places in almost all professions using education as a propagating instrument. Despite their contributions to societal attitudes, parents have not completely changed to granting female equal educational rights as males.

Therefore, the attitude of parents towards the education of female students in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State is of great concern to the researcher and should be revised to involve females in National Development. According to Adaralegbe A. (2002) females are not to be restricted from education in any way. He also stated that time is coming when women will be in power. Adeyemi J. A. (2001) also emphasized on the education of females in one of his book-promoting females education analysis, university press Ltd, pg 117.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In most family, the boys are more valuable to the parents than the girls. As a result of this, the researcher deems it necessary to examine the attitude of parents towards the education of female’s students under the following: 1. The number of female students in school and the educational level of their parents. 2. Female education and parental income. 3. Relationship between societal culture and female education. 4. Academic performance of male and female students in schools.