Education Research Journal Vol 1(1) pp. 1 8 June 2011 Available online http://www.resjournals.

com/ERJ 2011 International Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Education reforms in nigeria: implications for the girlchild participation in sciences, technology and mathematics (STM)
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Medinat Folorunso Salman, 2Florence Ademola Olawoye and 3Lasiele Alabi Yahaya
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Department of Science Education, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. E-mail; mfsalman@unilorin.edu.ng. 2 Queen Elizabeth Secondary School, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.; Email: adebolaolawoye@yahoo.com 3 Department of Counsellor Education, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. E-mail; lyahaya@unilorin.edu.ng
Abstract

The disparity in the education of male and female youths is a national issue particularly in developing countries like Nigeria. The dominant of male gender in schools in general and in the study of certain school subjects or career in particular has been affirmed by research reports. For instance, existing literature indicated low enrolment of females in the study of Sciences, Technology and Mathematics. This has strong implications for national development. This paper is a theoretical one. It presents primary and secondary sources of data to indicate the participation of female gender particularly in acquiring knowledge and skills in science and technology. The paper also highlights the importance of education as related to the girl-child; problems of girl-child participation in Sciences, Technology and Mathematics (STM) and the implications of the educational reforms for the girl-child education, Based on the discussions, conclusion is drawn and suggestions made on ways of bringing education to the doorstep of the girl- child in Nigeria. Keyword: Girl-child Education; Science, Technology and Mathematics (STM)

INTRODUCTION Nigeria, a developing country is being confronted with economic, social, political and educational challenges. The challenges led to the introduction of different reforms at different levels of the national operation. The reforms were designed to bring about developments in areas of needs through infusion of modern methods and values. Specifically, education constitutes of a major focus because It is believed that education is an instrument of national development and thus, it could be employed to achieve political, economic and social developments. The development of any nation requires the collective efforts of its citizens and all residents. More importantly, to achieve national development, both male and female members of the society need to be carried along. The World Conference on Education for All, (EFA) held in Geneva in 1990 stressed the need for gender equity in education. The Beijing conference of 1995 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) of 2005 also emphasized gender equity. In Nigeria, the National Policy on Education (FRN; 2004) also acknowledges the need to equalize educational opportunities between girls and boys. Gender equity is a major issue in the on-going reform programs embarked upon by the Federal Government of Nigeria and it is designed to address gender imbalance in education. This is because girls access to basic education, especially in the Northern states of Nigeria has remained low United Nations International Childrens Emergency Found (UNICEF, 2007). For instance, only 20% of women in the North West and North East of the country are literate and have attended school while the North Central and North West presents the worst scenarios (UNICEF, 2007). Dugbazah (2009) noted that gender composition of occupations in both the formal and informal sectors, of a country is an important indicator of the economic opportunities open to women. According to him, the participatory level of individual in each sector could be determined by the enrollment of males and females in schools and their

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participation in certain school subjects and career.

Education reforms in Nigeria The term reform first implies that the existing statu-quo in the Nigerian education sector is unsatisfactory. Reform could be conceived as the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, undesirable or unsatisfactory in a system. Reform as an act emphasizes change and improvement that will bring about development through, the removal of inconsistencies, abuses and adoption of modern methods and values (Encarta Dictionary, 1999).It sometimes finds its origin at the grassroots level where certain needs considered important are made known to policy makers at the top, often through petition, agitations, demonstrations, and sometimes violence. Any of these acts usually calls for an interactive communication between the policy makers and the stakeholders so that reform policies can be formulated to ease the demands of the populace. In other words, reforms are most times prompted by events which could be within or outside the country. Thus, education reforms could be defined as those practices and programs that are designed to bring about positive changes and new development in one or more aspects of the educational system of a nation (Adeniran, 2009).Nigeria has been witnessing different forms of reform in its education sector right from the outset of the colonial (preindependence) era, across the Post- independence period and up-to-date. This is with a view to meeting both local and global challenges in the areas of Science and Technology. The various educational reforms witnessed in Nigeria, among others include: the 1995 Universal Primary Education (UPE) in the Western region, the reform that brought about the National Curriculum Conference in 1969, which was the basis for the formulation of the National Policy on Education (NPE) by the Nigerian government in 1977. The National Policy on education was revised in 1981, 1998, 2004 and 2007. Other reforms introduced by the Federal Government of Nigeria include: the Universal Primary Education in 1976, the 63-3-4 system of Education in 1981, the Computer Education in 1988 and the Nigerian Information Technology Policy and the Universal Basic Education in1999 (Lawal, 2007). Oladosu (2007) highlighted eight factors which prompted the current education reforms in Nigeria. These are stated as follows: 1. 43% of the Nigerian population can neither read nor write, i.e. sixty million, two hundred thousand Nigerians are illiterate, 2. Only 51% of practicing teachers professionally qualified to be in the classroom, are

3. Infrastructure, educational facilities and instructional materials are in short supply across all levels of the educational system, 4. Not every Nigerian has equal access to education; partly as a result of gender prejudice and socio-cultural misconceptions, and other related factors. 5. There are significant differences in learners academic achievement and the quality of education received by Nigerians living in different parts of the country, 6. Nigerian schools tend to emphasize the learning of theories to the detriment of technical knowledge, vocational know-how and entrepreneurial skills, 7. The curriculum content calls for drastic and urgent review in favor of relevance and practical orientation of learners, 8. The natural mean scores for primary four Nigerian pupils in literacy, numeracy and life skills did not exceed 40% in any of the competencies assessed jointly by UNICEF and UNESCO in 1997. The justifications for education reforms are within the context of these challenges. Therefore, the former six years of primary, three years of junior secondary, three years of senior secondary and four years of university (63-3-4) education structure was re-aligned into 9 years of formal schooling consisting of 3 years of Lower Basic (primary 1-3), 3 years of Middle Basic (primary 1-4) and 3 years of Upper Basic (Junior Secondary School) and 4 years of University Education (9-3-4).This structure emphasizes Universal Basic Education (UBE), which is one of the reform programs of the Federal Government of Nigeria. According to the National Policy on Education, (2004), section 3, the 9 years basic education comprising of 6 years of primary and 3 years of Junior Secondary shall be as follows: a.) Free and compulsory education b.) Adult and non-formal education programs at primary and Junior Secondary Levels. c.) Education for adults and out of school youths. Also, Obong (2006), reported that the initiative by the Federal Government is aimed at removing distortions and inconsistencies in basic education delivery, provide greater access and ensure an un-interrupted access to 9 yeas formal education by providing free, compulsory and universal basic education for every Nigerian child of school age. Thus, the Universal Basic Education Act (2004) described gave the meaning of Basic Education as early childhood care and education; 9 years of formal schooling; adult literacy and noninformal education; skill acquisition programs and the education of special groups such as nomads and migrants; girl-child and women; almajiri (street children) and disabled groups. In order words, the UBE program is aimed at eradicating

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ignorance, disease, mal-nutrition, unemployment, tribalism, sectionalism, parochialism, economic stagnation and political instability (Fowoyo, 2001). As part of the measures toward achieving the objectives of the Universal Programming Education, the National Council on Education (NCE) directed the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to review the existing curricular for all subjects at the primary and junior school levels in order to meet up with the reform agenda. For instance, the existing mathematics curricular for primary and junior secondary schools were reviewed, re-structured and re-aligned into a 9 year Basic education program (NCE, 2005). Emerging issues from the MDGS and NEEDS such as value orientation, peace and dialogue, human right education, family life, HIV and AIDs education, entrepreneurial skills etc. were incorporated into the relevant contents of the 9-year Basic Education mathematics curriculum. The revised curriculum placed emphasis on affective domain and quantitative reasoning in order to boost pupils achievement in cognitive and psychomotor capabilities and also to make it responsive to the survival and developmental needs of the Nigerian child. The same review was done to the existing curricular of all other subjects offered at the basic level of Nigerian educational system. (NCE, 2005). In addition, the NERDC convened meetings of experts and organized several workshops between January and December 2006 in order to produce the 9-year Basic Education curriculum. Currently, workshops and training programs on quality assurance and best practices sponsored by the World Bank are being organized by some states in Nigeria to enhance the Professional qualities of teachers. In addition, the provision for equal educational opportunities to all Nigerian children irrespective of sex, race or religion, as well as women enpowerment are areas desired to be given needed emphasis in the reform agenda by the Federal Government of Nigeria in order to achieve the MDGs by 2015 (NERDC, 2007). Nigeria is a member nation of the United Nations organization which lays emphasis on the training of girls and women as a means of achieving sustainable development and economic growth. However, despite its commitment to the organization, the education of the girlchild is still lagging behind that of the boys (Olarewaju, 2002). In the same vein, Nnaka and Anaekwe (2006) reported that females are grossly under-represented in terms of enrolment, participation and achievement in science, technology and mathematics education at all levels of education. Also, Agwagah and Aguele (2007) asserted that gender imbalance in education is a major issue desired to be given needed emphasis in the on-going education reforms embarked upon by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Importance of Girl-child education The dividends of education for a girl-child are numerous to mention. These include better management of the home environment, effective use of health services, application of improved hygiene and nutrition practices, reduced fertility, lower child mortality, longer life expectancy, better child health care, smaller families and better educated children. In addition, United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF, 2007) revealed that girls education does not only bring the immediate benefits of empowering girls, but is seen as the best investment in a countrys development. Education for the girl-child also provides the opportunity for the development of essential skills such as, self confidence, effective participation in educational activities, protection against HIV/AIDS, sexual exploitation and self reliance among others. Educating a girl-child is a powerful force of development, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria, where social welfare and economic advancement are constrained by population growth and a weakly developed human resource base, especially in the area of science and technology (African Academy of science). Similarly, Achunine (2007) stated that empowering women intellectually, socially and politically using education as an instrument is imperative for redressing gender imbalance and enhancing the participation of women in decision making, family life, community development and nation building. This can be achieved through improved enrolment of female gender in schools in general and Science and Technology in particular.

Enrolment pattern of Girl-child participation in STM Gender is a contemporary issue in educational and psychological literature. This informed its inclusion in the new reform initiative, which specifically addressed the need to remove disparities that put the girl-child at a disadvantaged position (Adeyegbe,2000).The improved awareness of the significant role of education has brought about increase in school enrolment and literacy level among girls, particularly in developing countries, but disparity remains an issue between boys and girls in the study of courses in sciences and technology, and also between men and women in career choice and workforce. Salman (2001) reported low enrolment of females in sciences and technological-related courses at the University level of education. It was also observed that females take the least resistance by opting for disciplines designated as feminine such as liberal arts, education, nursing, law and shy away from courses in Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics, which have been designated as masculine subjects. Also, Oke (2000)

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Table 1. Enrolment pattern of candidates in STM subjects in the 2004 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination based on sex .

STM Subjects Further Maths General Maths Agric. Science Biology Chemistry Health Science Physics Applied Electricity Auto Mechanics Building Construction Electronics Metal Works Technical Drawing Wood Work Clothing and Textile Foodand Nutrition Home Economics

Total No. of candidate 18557 832689 656599 821966 269774 12306 265262 389 169 200 245 570 7490 499 541 16903 11066

No. of Males 14732 446907 369893 439358 159533 5586 158402 337 166 178 200 562 6462 488 15 1196 475

% 79 54 56 53 59 45 59 87 98 89 82 99 86 98 3 7 4

No. of Females 3825 385782 286706 382608 11o241 6719 1068601 52 3 22 45 8 1028 11 436 15707 10591

% 21 46 44 47 41 55 41 13 2 11 18 1 14 2 97 93 96

Source : Nnaka and Anaekwe (2006)

stated that science courses have been interpreted as mens work. This perception of science has been one of the greatest barriers to the adolescents who want to be seen as feminine. Nigeria, as a member nation of the United Nations, considers the training of girls and women as a means of achieving sustainable development and economic growth however; the desire is still faced with the challenges of low enrolment of females in sciences and technology courses. Some of the factors that have contributed to low female enrolment in sciences and technology courses are poverty, household size, parental educational background, negative attitude to schooling, traditional values and practices, perception of women as subordinates, girl-child education as secondary to that of boys in some communities and by some religious organizations, inadequate implementation of gender equity, policies and gender biased curriculum among others, (Salman, 2001). In addition Nnaka and Anaekwe (2005) identified gender unfair behaviours of teachers such as consistent use of masculine pronouns in discussing STM concepts, unequal access for male and female participation in discussions/demonstrations, higher achievement levels set out for boys than for the girls and female students being assisted most often in practical projects and other assignments in STM as some of the factors preventing girls from acquiring appropriate knowledge and skills in STM. Also, Nnaka and Anaekwe (2006) also examined the enrolment of candidates in STM subjects in the Senior School Certificate Examinations (STM) for May/June 2004. Table 1 Indicate that General Mathematics has the

highest enrolment (832689) of male and female candidates. This is because it is a compulsory subject that must be passed at credit level before one can study any of the sciences or technology courses at the university level. This is followed by biological sciences, physical sciences, home sciences and technical subjects. The table also shows that the males show more preferece to,technical subjects in comparison with home sciences, while the reverse is the case with the females. Fraikhuemen and Imogie (2008) investigated sex differentiation in admission of university undergraduates and postgraduates involving six faculties at the University of Benin, Nigeria. Data were collected with a proforma and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of the analysis among others indicated wide gap in the enrolment of male and female undergraduates and postgraduates, mostly in favor of the males. The undergraduates enrolment trend examined for the five academic sessions (2001/2002 to 2006/2007) showed that the female enrolment in the Faculty of Arts remained consistently higher than the male enrolment. The male enrolment ranged from 42% to 49% while that of the females ranged from 51% to 58% in the Faculty of Arts. Also, in the Faculty of Engineering, there was a continuous wide gap. The enrolment of the males ranged from 90% to 92% while that of the females ranged from 8% to 13%. In the faculties of Medicine and Social sciences, the male enrolments remained higher. In medicine, the male enrolment ranged from 63% to 82% while females ranged from 18% to 33%. It was further reported that in most of the sessions examined, postgraduate females had 20% enrolment. For the

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Table 2:

Trends of enrolment of male and female university undergraduates in STM Courses from 2001/2002-2008/2009 academic sessions

STM Subjects Level Sex Academic Section 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 Overall Total

Science 100 Level M No 403 60.33 570 58.28 310 58.16 569 55.84 430 51.25 698 54.83 583 49.74 680 60.77 4243 F No and % 265 39.67 408 41.72 223 41.84 450 44.16 409 48.75 575 45.17 589 50.26 439 39.23 3358 200 Level M F No and % 84 63.16 88 63.31 106 65.84 57 59.38 56 64.37 89 71.77 87 70.16 567 49 36.84 51 36.69 55 34.16 39 40.63 31 35.63 35 28.23 37 29.84 297 Total M F No and % 487 60.80 978 68.06 416 59.94 626 56.14 586 57.12 787 56.34 583 49.74 767 61.71 5230 314 39.20 459 31.94 278 40.06 489 43.86 440 42.88 610 43.66 589 50.26 476 38.29 3655

Engineering and technology 100 level M F No and % 434 90.04 48 9.96 200 level M F No and % 64 95.52 3 4.48 Total M F No and % 498 90.71 51 9.29

Mathematics 100 level 200 level M F M F No and 5 No and % 90 62.07 140 57.85 96 59.26 38 76.00 35 71.43 51 68.92 61 67.78 84 70.59 595 55 37.93 102 42.15 66 40.74 12 24.00 14 28.57 23 31.08 29 32.22 35 29.41 336 18 66.67 22 61.11 19 51.35 5 62.50 9 81.22 10 83.33 4 66.67 87 9 33.33 14 38.89 18 48.65 3 37.50 2 18.18 2 16.67 2 33.33 50 Total M F No and % 108 62.79 162 58.27 115 57.79 43 74.15 44 73.33 61 70.93 61 67.78 88 70.40 682 64 37.21 116 41.73 84 42.21 15 25.86 16 26.67 25 29.07 29 32.22 37 29.60 386

537 40 93.07 6.93 354 31 91.95 8.05 400 39 91.12 8.88 411 23 94.70 5.30 270 33 89.11 10.89 448 48 90.32 9.68 364 26 93.33 6.67 3218 288

51 2 96.23 3.77 57 4 93.44 6.56 35 6 85.37 14.63 37 2 94.87 5.13 52 17 75.36 24.64 51 92.73 347 4 7.27 38

588 42 93.33 6.67 411 35 92.15 7.85 435 45 90.62 9.38 448 25 94.71 5.29 322 50 86.56 13.44 448 48 90.32 9.68 415 30 93.26 6.74 3565 326

Source: Academic Planning unit, University of Ilorin

Faculty of Social Sciences the enrolment of male postgraduates was higher than the females unlike the undergraduates. On the whole, the male enrolment was higher than the female enrolment throughout, except, for the Faculty of Law. The primary data on enrolment of male and female undergraduates in Science, Technology, and Mathematics at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria was collected by the researchers Salman, Olawoye and Yahaya from the academic planning unit of the institution. The pattern of enrolment is shown in Table 2.

The enrolment in Sciences comprised undergraduates in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Geology, Microbiology, Physics, Plant Biology, Statistics and Zoology. Also, Engineering and Technology comprised undergraduates enrolment in Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Table 2 shows the enrolment pattern according to sex based on academic session. The undergraduates enrolment in STM courses for all the academic sessions recorded

inadequate participation by female undergraduates, except in 2007/2008 academic session, which recorded higher percentage of female undergraduates in the Faculty of Sciences. This was because the enrolment of female undergraduates in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Microbiology, and Plant Biology for the academic session was higher. In addition, there was no direct admission into 200 level for that academic year. Table 3 shows the departments in the Faculty of sciences with higher female enrolment in 2007/2008 academic session. The low enrolment

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Table 3. Departments with higher female undergraduates enrolment in 2007/2008 academic session at the University of Ilorin.

Academics Year 2007/2008

Department Bio chemistry Chemistry Microbiology Plant Biology

M 83 78 43 47

F 117 107 89 60

Total 200 185 132 107

of female undergraduates in other academic sessions has strong implication for national growth and development of Nigeria as a nation. Olasehinde-Williams and Olawuyi (2009) carried out a quantitative analysis of female students perspectives of Engineering and Technology-Related Courses in Tertiary Institutions using University of Ilorin as case study. According to the researchers, the objective of the study was to provide greater insight into the reason for genderbias in the quantity and quality of students in Engineering and Technology at the University from Students perspective. The participants included thirty-seven, final year students purposively selected from Education, Science and Technology Faculties in the University. The study employed In-dept interviews (IDI) and Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) techniques using a semi-structured interview schedule for purpose of data collection. Researchers identified lack of confidence in self, concerns about job challenges and difficulty meeting admission requirements among others as major causes of gender differences in quantity and quality of graduates produced in Engineering and Technology programs in the University. Nnorom (2009) analyzed the admissions of students into Faculties of Engineering and Science based courses for three consecutive years at the University of Lagos. Findings from the study revealed that more males enrolled in the two faculties and that the status quo had remained even with the improved access to education by both gender. The researcher asserted that the observed differences would continue as long as the gender differences are reinforced at the basic level of the society, which is the family.

Problems with the Girl-Child education Over the years, the role of females in Nigerian society has been enronenously conceptualized to child bearing and house keeping. This is why, in most developing countries males are groomed for career in technical and scientific feilds while females are guided to concentrate their efforts on home economics. In Nigeria, the social relations and activities of Nigerian women and men are governed by patriarchal system of socialization and cultural practices, which favour the

interest of men above those of women. The women are in surbordinate position particularly at the community and household levels and the male children are preferred to the females. .. Oke (2000) identified some factors affecting the teaching and learning of science as well as entries and performance in STM subjects. These include: the nature of science, home background, classroom practices, curricular materials, assessment practices, and early marriage among others. Also, Johnston (1992) reported some factors that serve as obstacles to girls participation in STM, particularly, in the non-compulsory school system of the Sub-Saharan Africa. These include; parents negative attitude towards the education of their daughters, shortage of female teachers to serve as role models, early marriage age for females, the demand for girls household labor, and national policies that differentially affect the sexes. In the same vein, Olawoye (1988) identified preference of some parents toward certain disciplines, girls negative attitude towards mathematics; teachers negative attitudes to students, poor methods of teaching and inadequate importance attached to girl-child education by the government/ society, as possible factors that could influence the participation of the girl-child in STM. The consideration of the girl-child education as secondary to that of boys in some societies and in some religious set up, could also be responsible for the wastage rate among females at all levels of education. Further, the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF,2007) identified poverty, early marriage and teenage pregnancy; inadequate school infrastructure; cultural and religious biases; gender bias in content and teaching and learning processes; poorly qualified teachers among others as some of the barriers to girlchild education.

Implications of Education Reforms for the Girl-Child Education The Nigerian woman and the girl-child in some parts of the country are hurrying to regain their virtues through education. In view of the fact that the virtue of individuals in the society has strong implication for the virtues of the society, to retain or strenghen the virtue of the society.

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Thus, education reform initiatives need to be guided by implementable laws, that will compel parents and guadians to send their girl-child to school. The legal justificaiton for the on-goiong Basic Education initiative is reflected under section 18 (1) and 3 of the 1999 consitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeira, which states amongst others that: 1. Government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levles 2. Government shall strive to eradicate illiteracy, and to this end, government shall at when practicable provide: a. Free, complusory universal primary education, b. Free, secondary education. c. Free university education and d. Free adult literacy programme The free and compulsory basic education emphasizes nonpayment of school fees, free text books, uniform, feeding, learning facilities among others. Also, the revised basic education curricula for all subjects at the levels have been directed to incorporated gender issues with special consideration to learner-centered approaches to teaching (group, peer, individual learning strategies). The strong implication of these moves for the girl-child education is to address the problem of poverty resulting to teenage pregnancies, early marriage, child trafficking, and teenage pregnancy among others. The revised curricula incorporating gender issues would also assist in addressing gender bias contents in the curricula, textbook materials and in teaching and learning processes. This would allow for equal participation of both sexes in classroom activities and study of sciences and technical subjects. The indigent females at the primary and junior secondary schools would be inspired in their educational career if given free access. Parents would also encourage their female children and wards to go to schools and also participate in STM subjects.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS In view of the observations and research reports presented in this paper suggestions are made for the improvement of girl-child education and participation in STM. The paper examined different education reforms in Nigeria as they affect the girl-child, especially in terms of enrolment and participation in Sciences, Technology and Mathematics. Also, the challenges hindering girl-child participation in STM were highlighted and discussed. And the implications of the education reforms for the girl-child education and participation in Sciences, Technology and Mathematics were enumerated. The following recommendations are considered relevant for the promotion of girl-child education as well as enrolment in Sciences, Technology and Mathematics:

1. Relevant laws should be promulgated to prevent all forms of discrimination against the girl child. 2. Counseling programs should be organized on the importance of the participation of the girl- child in STM on the radio, television jingles and the print media. References should be made to women who have excelled in these areas as role models. 3. Women in Science Technology and Mathematics disciplines should visits schools and encourage female students to offer courses that are related. 4. STM teachers should be sensitized to be gender friendly and practice gender inclusive learning environment in classroom interaction with their students. This could be achieved through seminars and workshops. 5. The professional skills of STM teachers should be regularly enhanced, particularly in the areas of infusing learner-centered and grouping approaches in classroom activities. That is, individual learners or pairs in groups should be given opportunities to actively participate in teaching and learning, particularly in practical works. 6. The governments of Nigeria should give employment to Nigerian female youths, who studied Sciences, Mathematics or Technology after university education. This is a way of encouraging more females to participate in STM. Also females in STM, who have made their marks should serve as resource persons to schools in order to motivate female students to study STM courses. 7. Seminars and Worshops should be organised for female youths by counselors in institutions of learning on career choice. This is to erase the impression that certain careers are masculine. 8. The counseling units in primary and secondary schools should organise regular talks and enlightenment programmes on the negative effects of early marriage negative attitudes toward school subjects in general and mathematics in particular. The relevance of Mathematics in the study of sciences and technical subjects and choice of courses at the institutions of higher learning should be stressed. 9. Rewards for excellent perfomance by females in mathematics, sciences and technical subjects should be encouraged by school administrators. This would serve as a challenge and encourage healthy competition among the females and with their male counterparts. 10. Special schoarship scheme should be established to cater for need of girl child education especialy in area of STM. 10. Government should deliberately allocate space in Engineering, Technology and Mathematics courses for females at the point of entry into institutions of higher learning.
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