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Latwell Nyangu-Youth Interactive Writer
Happy women’s month to all female students in this country and across the globe. They say, whenever you see a successful woman, look around and see three men trying to block her way, however, this is open for debate but the message is, girls face a lot of obstacles along their journey to success.
At school, college and after college, girls still battle for success without conditions. I feel for them, because someone was telling me, she went for an interview, but she was told she got the job on condition that either she dates either an HR guy or supervisor.
She accepted the job but never returned the next morning. That’s a major challenge.
This week, I am slightly taking a side, call me a biased folk, I am okay with it but female students still have a herculean task ahead of them.
An array of problems is still making female students’ worlds tougher to navigate. She wakes up to do house chores, wash, cook. She has no transport money, she has no side hustle, she is an orphan. She stays with guardians. The family is not well-up. She has no money for sanitary wear. She faces exploitation at college. Lectures are after her. Cyberbullying is giving her a torrid time. Religion is forcing her to get married. At home, they are saying, it’s a waste of money to educate a girl child. ‘Blessers’ are after her.
The list is endless.
From my observations, female students go through a lot of challenges from being at college, home and away from home.
Seeing a woman, I see the hand of God, because despite going through a lot, they remain firm.
Last time, I wrote a piece about male students dying for love, and some female students were laughing at me, saying as men we are weak despite being deemed stronger.
I have enough respect for women, but we need to spare a thought for a female student. Having written something about dilemmas faced by female students, I feel I need to honour and salute them for being courageous to achieve their targeted goals despite obstacles along their way. March is the month to celebrate and appreciate women, so by the powers vested in me, I say happy women’s month to all the girls.
Whether you are going to school, or not, you deserve a salute.
Despite education being an essential instrument to bring social revolution, there are no arguments which can win against the fact that major challenges still lie ahead of a female student, whether at home, college or away from home.
And it’s a fact that education is the only remedy to bring about the desired social change in the society, at all levels and ages of children,
While higher education is the third stage of education, which is acquired by the learners through the learning process. In my view, gender equality is so close yet so far, but I feel female students need to up their game and prove that they are capable.
I know they are putting effort but be visible in all areas. They go through a lot but I urge you to shrug off all your challenges, you have been given the opportunities to compete alongside us, your male counterparts.
Yes, we are still living in a patriarchal society which still thinks that girls should be under boys and no girl should take up the front seat.
You have the advantages, the country’s laws, constitution, gender protocols, everyone is behind you. It only requires your courage to take up the challenge.
But however, sex biases are very common everywhere whether it is in educational institutions, society in general and in home.
Whether you are black, white, green, red or you come from whatever religion or developed, developing country, it’s unfortunate the reality is, girls face much more obstacles than boys in pursuit of their academic journey. Just like society, boys are considered physically stronger than girls. Boys are taught to find solutions to problems affecting them.
Boys tend to be independent and fearless while on the other hand, girls are brought to be submissive, dependent, and fearful personalities.
Such problems are embedded in the system that without serious attempts to remove them, little can be done to improve the situation of college students.
Most of the time, females do not make official reports regarding what could have happened to them, but in fact, many secretly experience pain. My advice is to open up and share your challenges. It is wrong to exploit female students since it will continue to happen.
Make a shout to fellow female students. College life can exist to reinforce the inequalities and injustices that it should instead help avert.
Not only are there unaffordable residence facilities but also very limited accommodation space in most university institutions.
Female students are taken advantage of especially when going through hardships. Some situations are forcing them to seek out ‘blessers’ to make ends meet. Some end up quitting, some end up being married at an early age. It is crucial how female students should consider how to cope under such tough circumstances and the kind of behaviours such as selling sex, drug abuse etc.
Such will not solve any problem but perpetuates the worst and brings unwanted negative consequences.
Girls’ problems also include inadequate and unsafe education infrastructure including sanitation.
The high cost of sanitary wear continues to impact negatively on female students.
Girls still face the sex-bias in curriculum transaction, books, allocation of subjects, participation in activities. Poor family status and care of siblings and household chores at home are also considered the factors affecting education of girls.
On Wednesday, March 8, the world commemorated International Women’s Day under the theme, embracing equity. Embracing equity means to actively engage with the disenfranchised to allow advancement in a meaningful, generation-changing way. I once wrote something about the dilemma of a female student where I highlighted some challenges they face on and off campus.
But this time, I am challenging them to move from their comfort zone. Sexual biases are very common everywhere whether it is in educational institutions, society in general and in home. These biases generate barriers in terms of both structure and attitude in girls of rural areas.
The girls are facing problems in society in terms of social, economic and educational problems. The social attitude towards girls’ education is generally negative.
Education for girls is an important part of working towards expelling the evils of society such as the pariah system, early marriage, parental illiteracy, lack of educational facilities at home.
Shine, female student.
Online Reporter