Access of rural girls to primary education in the Third World : state of art, obstacles, and policy recommendations

Against a statistical picture of women"s literacy and access to education, this report examines the importance to girls of an elementary education, describes the determinants of rural female education, and presents policy recommendations. An elementary education is crucial to rural girls because it allows further education and training; increases their ability to actively participate in rural development; enhances the education and literacy of future generations; improves the nutritional status of families; increases receptivity to family planning; and leads to greater farm production. Impeding rural girls" completion of elementary school are: competing household duties and production activities; parents" limited resources and negative view of educating girls; shortages of schools and female teachers; sex-segregated schools; and marriage, pregnancy, and poor health. Factors favoring rural girls" primary schooling are: no brothers in the family; visible handicaps; high socioeconomic status; the presence of female role models; and a societal view that literacy and education enhance marriageability. Recommendations for improving the educational opportunities of all low-income rural children are to: (1) combine compulsory primary education with self-help projects to build and maintain schools; (2) provide free educational materials, school feedings, and basic health education; (3) develop programs to decrease the excessive household workload of rural women and their children; (4) adapt school calendars to cropping patterns; and (5) train local assistant teachers. Recommendations directed specifically toward the needs of rural girls are to: (1) train more female primary school teachers and paraprofessionls; (2) build and staff girls" schools where the sexes are segregated; (3) tie teachers" promotions to their success in educating girls; (4) require equal access to agricultural training programs; (5) make texts less sexist and more relevant; and (6) initiate literacy programs for mothers. A 60-item reference list (1963-79) is provided.