CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Cultural practices influenced the education of female student as it affect their psychological, emotional, social and economic state (Ajila and Olutola, 2000).

However, reviewed literature indicated that that there is an awareness of cultural practices on female student education.

Education as defined by World Bank (1990), is a basic human need and a process of acquiring a broad base knowledge, attitudes, values and skills.

But cultural practices are acting as barriers to former education in Bangwa tribe. Formal education can only be effective when cultural practices like sex preference, the use of girl child as a source of labour and early marriages are limited.

It is also important to note that education does not only develop the society socially, economically, culturally and politically.

It is because of this that United Nation in the Universal Declaration of Human Right (1948), recognized the need for empowerment of all, through education especially that of the women. The study confirmed that norms, values, beliefs and cultural practices held by a group influences behavior and female student education.

In sum, strong cultures practices may be rigid and thus be a liability when adaptation is essential.  Observing that they are cultural practices acting as barriers to the education which actually affects education of female students in Africa, Cameroon and Bangwa tribe in particular due to the influence of culture. Knowing the advantages of an educated community, the researcher became interested in looking at some of these cultural practices which are acting as barriers to the education of the female students.

Background to the Study

This study seeks to look at the Bangwa cultural practices within the political and socio – economic and cultural context. Some of these cultural practices greatly affect the academic performance of the Bangwa female students’ represents a situation of gender bias.

Bangwa is a tribe in the Lebialem Division of the South West Region of Cameroon. It lies to the extreme North – East of the Region within latitude 50 15N to 5o 45N and longitude 9o 45E to 100 25E (Tom, 1973).

It is bounded on the North by Momo and Mezam Divisions in the North – West Region, on the North east by the Bamboutos and Menoua Division in the West Muanenguba Divisions.  On the West by Manyu Division and on the South east by Kupe – Muanenguba Division.

It covers a geographical area of 1230km2. (Ashu, 2002). It has sub tribes under it, speaking similar languages but with slight difference in the pronunciation. The Bangwa land is composed of about 120 villages and above.

There are good number of primary and secondary school which is an evident that most female students who enroll in to primary and form one do not finally go through secondary education.

This shows clearly that there is a much lower literacy level among female students. This is sometimes attributed to gender inequality in education. Several factors account for this state of affairs and it is deceptive to assume that a single factor can be responsible for gender bias.

Firstly, female students in Bangwa tribe are mostly regarded by the male as the weaker sex. Female students do not have a higher priority in education because they are expected to be married at the age of 18 and form other families.

These parents who think they might not gain much in educating their female children, simply keeps them at home awaiting a prospective suitor so that they can profit from bride – price coming from the marriage in the short run.

This is not the case with a male. His education is believed to be beneficial to the family and everything is done to ensure that he goes to school. This notion has been proven enormous because some of the educated men had been totally irresponsible to family that sponsored them in school.

Furthermore, some parents actually feels that education for the female students may deny their daughters a chance of getting married because of a combination of liberal tendencies acquired at school meanwhile, parents forget to note that academic maturity usually enhances physical attraction which leads to marriage with a much more responsible man in the society.

Withdrawing a female from school is therefore seen by some parents as improving her marketability for potential husband.

In addition, domestic chores that have been associated with female students are also responsible to an extent, for encouraging gender bias in education.

Female unlike their counterparts are expected to do so much domestic work that often interferes with their education. Some of these domestic chores include babysitting, water fetching, firewood gathering and farm cultivation which are; to a great extent a pressure on females who are of school age.

Moreover, the high cost of education and poverty at household level are barriers to gender balance in school attendance. Larger and extended families have a high educational burden every term and parents may be obliged to decide which child should attend school at the expense of the other. Considering that most of the families in Bangwa tribe are polygamous, it is very expensive to cater for all the children at school.

In the event of this, a choice has to made whether to keep all the children at school or sponsor a few for education. Unfortunately, due to cultural reasons, decisions reached by most parents are biased against female education but favours the male counterpart.

Furthermore, school attendance for female children is further uncompromised by early and unwanted pregnancy whether caused by age, mates or teachers.

Female children who gets pregnant are required to drop out and are not at time allowed to re-enroll at the same school after delivery while life goes on normally for males responsible for these pregnancies.

Unfortunately, some parents tend to consequently become uninterested sending their female children to school. Some badly behave teachers use their position to rape, harassed or defile students. This is some times used as a reason by some parents to keep their female children out of school.

In addition the issue of gender affecting the education performance of Bangwa female students has become a vicious circle because female students look at their education with apathy. They do not have the conviction that they can succeed because of most cases there are no educated women around to inspire them.

Most of them therefore grow up with a tended mentality that women are born to be housewives and this cannot inspire them to concentrate on studies which to them are devoid of meaning.

While there is not this general consensus that female education is the single most important investment that a country can make about 40% of Bangwa women can neither read nor write as compared to about 60% of the male population that can do so. (According to the department of 2nd population census 1997).

Without education, women have neglected to the background in commercial matters. Men, who in addition to being more literate are culturally advantaged; control economy, land and property they inherit the property of their predecessors while the majority of the women are disqualified.

Women produce wealth in the form of agricultural products but are simple on-lookers in wealth sharing. Gender bias has greatly undermined the woman liberation movement because without education, economic power is unattainable and emancipation remains wishful thinking.

Equally, the same applies as a consequence to illiteracy party caused by gender bias that greatly affects the education of the Bangwa female student; she is kept out of politics. For this reason she automatically relegate to a more spectator in matters of politics which also concerns her.

It is for this reason that Tumusiime (1997) commented that “Gender bias the world over is an old as the universe itself” right from the biblical creation story, a clear distinction was drawn between man and woman, portraying man who is believed to have created first as taking precedence over woman whose creation was to come from the man’s rib.

The emergence of formal education much later only added impetus to already biased status-quo in favour of men. The study therefore is an attempt to identify some of the gender issues in the Bangwa tradition and extent to which the affect the education of Bangwa female students.

Statement of the Problem

Education is a basic human right but unfortunately some female students especially in the Bangwa tribe do not acquire basic and secondary education because of their cultural practices. Education is important for economic, social, cultural and political development of the country. Therefore, if girls or female students are not educated because of cultural practices, benefits of education will not be achieved.

Furthermore, law No. 98/004 of Cameroon holds that, education shall be to train citizens who are firmly rooted in their cultures, but open to the world and respectful of the general interest and common wealth.

It also holds that the objectives and purpose of education in Cameroon which says education shall be to train children for their intellectual, physical, civil and moral development and their smooth integration to the society bearing in mind prevailing economic, socio-cultural, political and moral factors. To achieve these objectives we must ensure that all students’ not just males acquire quality education.

Despite the importance of education in a community, some tribes hold very strong on certain practices which may be like barriers to the education of their people.

In the Bangwa tribe for example, there is the belief in sex preference in education, expectation about female marriages, fear about early and unwanted pregnancies and the use of girls as a source of labour.

These practices seem to play either desirable or undesirable effects on the education of the female students. It is for this reason that this researcher thinks to undertake a study in this area.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose is to investigate how cultural practices affect female student education in Bangwa tribe in Lebialem Division. This study will also find out whether these cultural practices on gender affect the academic performances of female students in Bangwa tribe are related to;

Sex preference in the education of the male; expectation about female marriages, use of the girl child as a source of labour, it is through this purpose that the researcher will be able to establish the extent to which cultural practices about gender affect the education of the Bangwa female students.

Research Objectives

General Objective

The general objective of this study is to investigate the extent to which cultural practices and its effect on female students education in Bangwa tribe in Lebialem Division.

Research questions

1. How does sex preference in education in the Bangwa tribe affect female student’s education?
2. How does the use of girl child as a source of labour affect her education?
3. How does an early marriage in the Bangwa tribe affect the education of female students?

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