ABSTRACT

This paper investigated the challenges or constraints of women in continuing higher education programme with particular focus on the b.ed part-time programme of the usman danfodiyo university sokoto. A simple survey research design was employed to explore the issue. A 4 item questionnaire supplemented with oral interview sessions provided the data used for the study. The study involved 150 randomly selected women in b.ed part-time programme of the usman danfodiyo university. The data collected were analyzed using mean score, frequency count and simple percentages. The findings of the study showed that the major constraints or challenges of women participants in the programme include time constraints, increasing marital demand, poor economic or financial base, poor learning environment, lack of encouragement from employers and spouse, increasing social pressure and poor psychological disposition. The implications of study for women’s counselling and education were highlighted. Based on the findings, recommendations were also proffered.among the recommendations are: women should be tutored on time management startegies.this can be incorporated in their programme as a means of helping them manage effectively the time available to them.counsellors and teachers should also understand the challenges of women and the prevailing situations which may influence the attitude of the women towards learning and level of achievement.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background to the Study

‘There should be no barrier to educating women. Only when women have unhindered access to quality education can their potentials be fully developed and society made better by their contributions. ‘All religions, encourage women education’ (Hajjia Bintu Ibrahim Musa, 2005) the remarks made by Hajjia Bintu Ibrahim Musa (ibid.), former Minister of State for Education in Nigeria is a very good reference point here.

From the remarks above, women education is said to be the most significant intervention for human and sustainable development. There is no doubt that education contributes to the growth of national incomes and individual earnings. The higher one’s educational status, the higher the earnings particularly in both the public and private sectors. This means therefore that university education is a critical factor to ones earnings and development and beyond this to efficiency. Without any doubt, universities play a critical role in generating new ideas, in accumulating and transmitting knowledge and also in generating incomes; this is because economic growth is deemed to depend on the capacity to produce knowledge based growth. Although, it is difficult to strictly identify which subsector of education contribute most to poverty reduction (IIEP Newsletter, Vol. SS5 No I. January-March, 2007).

In Nigeria, as in many developing economies, there is a gender gap in literacy with women at a disadvantage; this has led to government increase in literacy drive for girls in particular at the basic education level. Because of this, there is a tendency for government not to take cognizance of what goes on at the tertiary level particularly as it relates to female enrolment. Although, Nigeria educational reform as stated in National Economic Empowerment and Development strategy (NEEDs) document also shows considerable focus on girls higher education. But one can say that up till now, a lot of Nigerian girls and women unlike their male gender are still not enrolled at the tertiary level.

Achieving gender parity in education is one of the aims of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and it is also a primary objective of the 1990 World declaration on Education for All (EFA) as well as the Dakar framework of action (2000). But till date, gender equality still remains elusive.