Abstract:
This research has explored the challenges facing secondary girls’ education in South Sudan, with
a focus on Comboni secondary school, in the period between 2019 and 2024. Education is a
universal right that everyone, females, males and children should benefit of in their environment.
Girls’ education goes beyond getting them into school, and it is mostly about ensuring that they
learn and feel safe while in school. Educating girls also allows them to have the opportunity to
complete all levels of their education. However, in a patriarchal society, norms hinder girls from
going to school yet the boys get that privilege. Girls meet many challenges to get educated; some
challenges originate from their school, others are societal, individual and sometimes cultural.
The research used a qualitative design, with a purposive or selective sample of 30 participants, as
any girl has faced, has heard or is aware of the challenges the meet at Comboni secondary
school. The theories of change model and the theory of empowerment informed this study.
Educating girls can change them positively, which empowers them as well. These theories have
informed this research because they highlight the multifaceted benefits of girls’ education, not
just for the individuals themselves but also for the society. The results show that girls in
Comboni secondary school face a myriad of challenges, ranging from societal, cultural, personal
and others related to health. All these challenges make most girls fail to complete their
education. The society in which the school is located plays a big role in fostering these
challenges because of patriarchal norms that discriminate against girls and women. A community
with educated girls can have informed women, which can develop the community because their
minds are open and ready for social change, which is not the case for uneducated women. The
research recommends that the challenges girls face at Comboni secondary school can scale down
if beliefs regarding policies can change. In addition, awareness, encouraging more women
teachers, providing safe transport and sanitary materials to schoolgirls can help them stay in
school for longer until they complete their degrees.
