Challenges facing Secondary Girls'Education in South Sudan.Case of COMBONI Secondary School (2019-2024)

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.