CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

All over the world, education is recognized as the cornerstone for sustainable national development (Oyitso & Olomukoro, 2012). In the last two decades, debates on the status of women and the need to integrate them into development process of any nation have ranged on a national and international workshops, seminars, and for among others (Olayele,2008). Education helps men and women claim their rights and realize their potential economic, political and social arenas. It is also the single most powerful way to lift people out of poverty. Yet, many people especially women are still excluded from education in Nigeria and Africa a whole. The demand for education in most countries of the world has spread to people of different sex and age group. The motivation of this demand and spread was dictated by the philosophy of popular education and the principle of equal opportunities for all in the educational industry endorsed by many countries as the instrument for national development, social justice and egalitarianism. Before this landmark, development which came in the wake of the dynamism of society, women’s education has lagged behind because of what Obbo(1980) called the philosophy of training women towards the traditional roles as wives and mothers. Besides, the emphasis laid on the effective performance of those roles, they could learn simple craft like basket and cloth weaving, dress making, pottery and some religious values. Women’s education was viewed as the exclusive right of the male folk. Lack of education constitute a major hindrance on women’s participation in the productive sector of the economy. In same way, lack of education has also been a major obstacle to women’s involvement in political activities and decision-making processes and national development. The current wave of globalization has greatly improved the lives of women worldwide, particularly the lives of women in the developing world. Nevertheless women remain disadvantaged in many areas of life, including education, employment, health, and civil rights. The participation of women in the society especially in the socioeconomic and political development of their respective countries and home has become a very crucial and topical issue all over the world. In the past, until the mid-1960s, women in all part of the world particularly in Africa were victims of different kinds of traditions which prevented them from actively and effectively participating in development oriented activities in their countries. They are only marginalized; their involvement in development oriented activities was not considered important. However the development processes of the society accompanied by socio-economic changes brought about the changing roles of women in addition to their traditional roles as wives and mothers. The global economic situation has become so complex that men alone can no longer effectively handle the affairs of the home. This had led to women shouldering much of the family financial burden. And, thus have changed the domestic task of women since she has to be involved in other economic activities outside the home. All these have been made possible through education. There are several reasons why women’s education should be emphasized as specific undertaking. For proper development of a nation, women who constitute more than fifty per cent (50%) of the country’s population should be involved; they need education on equal basis with men. Full integration of women in all aspect of political, economic and social life; at the international, national and regional level is essential if the obstacles to the achievement of the goals and objectives for women to be overcome (Okojie, 2011). In Nigeria today, the women folk have come a long way in business, politics, education, sport and other profession. They have made an indelible mark in their effort to conquer the limitations of the past which have sought to place them permanently in the kitchen and bedroom. However, it is not all through a bed of roses for women. Majority of women in Nigeria have not been fully mobilized and empowered to contribute to national development. They have been dehumanized and traumatized in so many ways, as out of over 1-3 billion people who live in abject poverty around the globe, about seventy percent (70%) are women (Onwubiko, 2012). For those women, poverty does not just mean scarcity and want, it implies rights denied, opportunities curtailed and voices silenced. Access to women educational development programmes in the words of Kagiticibais, Goksen and Gulgoz(2005) is considered one of the main factor for women empowerment and national development as against being stalled by culture which made them vulnerable to effectively join the workforce and contribute to economic and thus, national development of the nation.

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