Women for Change has cited deep rooted cultural practices as one of the main reasons behind the low girls scores in exams when compared to boys. This follows the most recent grade nine examination results that showed that despite more girls sitting for exams, more boys passed the exams than girls.
Minister Of General Education Denis Wanchinga disclosed that for the 2020 grade 9 External Examination results released on the 30 October 2020, an analysis of the performance by sex showed that more boys (27%) than girls (25%) obtained certificates. The analysis further showed that more girls than boys failed the exams despite the fact that more girls than boys attempted the exams.
And Women for Change Executive Director Lumba Siyanga said girls in a typical Zambian household spend most of their time performing chores while boys in the very same households are given more free time which they use to attend to school work.
She stated that most Zambian cultures and households across the ten provinces of Zambia do not expected boys to perform house chores while the girls from a tender age are roped into the daily routines and chores.
Speaking in an an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Siyanga said the only time that girls can do school work is when they are at school while boys have enough time to spend on their books because traditionally they are not expected to perform any house chores which girls spend most of their time doing when they are at home.
She said that her organization is working with communities, traditional leaders and parents in rural areas, educating and sensitizing them in order to change their perception on the importance of education for a girl child and how much attention girls should put into school. There is need for a balancing act to afford girls an equal opportunity with their boys counterparts.
She added that the organisation is working with schools to ensure that girls are given attention in terms of extra tuitions and extra curriculum activities in order to build on their confidence and expose them to other skills that enhance their learning.
Siyanga added that community action groups have been formed to help track and ensure that girls remain in school. “At enrollment level, more girls enroll into school as compared to boys but girls start dropping out of school due to poverty and cultural practices. There was a case in Pemba where girls that were supposed to be writing their grade seven and grade nine exams were kept in an initiation ritual for three months and were not allowed to go to school, she said.”
She also noted that it becomes an issue of ‘child labour’ if a child is not being accorded time for school activities and spends all their time doing house chore activities. For Zambia to develop, their is need for both girls and boys, women and men to become economically productive and be afforded an opportunity to reach their full potential.
