INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Children arrive at birth as packaged gifts with great but latent potentials. Training (especially formal education) nurtures, prepares and matures them to unleash these to humanity in service and live a fulfilled life; Education at basic and post primary school is a fundamental right of every child as it unveils their great potentials, an essential for the exercise of all other human rights. It promotes individual freedom, empowerment and yields important development benefits. Education inculcates in the individual, knowledge, skills, character and desirable values that will foster national development and self-actualization (Asiegbu, Okorji & Bosah, 2014). According to Agbakwuru (2002) education equips one with marketable skills thereby lifting the possessor up from the poverty arena. Essentially Uzoma, (2013) mentioned that through education, the individual learns good health habits, principles and practices which promote healthy living and longevity as well as acquire marketable skills that confer economic power on the educated.

It is a veritable tool utilized by economically and socially marginalized adults and children in achieving freedom from poverty and participate fully as citizens (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culural Organization, {UNESCO} 2017).

Decades ago, most African women received some sort of informal education, but formal education, has been reserved for men who occupy the more important and elite roles in government and society (Eliza, 2010). Women without formal education are denied the opportunity to develop their full potential and to play a productive and equal role in their families, their societies, their country and their world at large (Ahmad & Najeemah, 2013).

Education of the girl child has been shown to contribute immensely to the development of the family, the societies and the nation. Psacharopoulos and Patrinos, (2004) reported that child girl education contributes to the various aspects of their lives such as increased productivity, family health and nutrition, reduced fertility rates and related child mortality rates. Child girl education empower the girl child to become self -sufficient adult capable of taking decision and controlling her life. Jatau in Esomonu (1999) believes that the burden of nation building rests much on women. She goes on ‘we need women to create a blissful home, have well-educated and well-behaved children.

The important of child girl education cannot be over emphasized. It is a global human right concern demanding legislation across the nations of the world as child girls are discriminated against. They are victims of various traditional and cultural practices, they suffer degradation, they are objects of poverty, their faces are only to be seen but their voices not to be heard, they are seen as being sub-servient to their male counterparts; they are the inferior set, their place is in the kitchen (Ahmad & Najeemah, 2013).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite many gains recorded with regards to overall level of education worldwide and more children than ever are now attending primary school (King, 2013), there is still not world-wide gender parity in education. Girl child access to formal education has continued to be low in developing part of the world especially in Sub—Sahara Africa. Globally, two thirds of all those who have no access to education are girls and women. Sixty-five million girls and women never even started school, and an estimated 100 million do not complete primary education, often because the quality is poor and their opportunities are far from equal to those of boys (Iwalaiye, Abah, Johnson & Giwa & Ali, 2016). In a recent by World Development (2012) there exist a sizeable gender gaps for poor women and women in poor places. The report revealed that in education where gaps have narrowed in most countries, girls’ enrollment in primary and secondary schools in sub-Saharan African countries and some parts of south Asia have not improved much (Anah, 2013). In Nigeria, particularly, the north part of the country, access to basic education among the child girl have remain low. As only 20 per cent of women in the North West and North East of the country are literate and have attended school (Unicef, 2007). Considering the vital role played by women in the society and the nation, it is therefore paramount to review the challenging factors militating against girl child education in Nigeria.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to determine the challenges facing girl child in rural area. Specific objectives include;

i. To evaluate whether the girl child is faced with challenges in the rural area.

ii. To determine the correlation between girl child educated in rural area and girl child educated in urban area.

iii. To proffer solution to the challenges facing the girl child in rural area.