The government of Rwanda has for several years now prioritized education of girls, a thing regarded as a key component of improving economic and social well being of the citizens. People should understand that investing in Girl’s education contributes to solving of various social issues such as child health. It is worth to mention here that most social problems that have been cited in our society are strongly linked to the historical background of this nation. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda’s fragile economic base and severely impoverished the population particularly women. Also school infrastructures were destroyed, school activities stopped completely for a year, and thousands of teachers and children were killed and others displaced. This gave rise to many problems that are mainly linked to poverty and ignorance. There are various barriers that have been affecting girl’s education. First and fore most, girls are consistently discriminated against and their education was viewed as less important than that of boys. Girls were encouraged to marry at an early age, and they were forced to take on household and income generating responsibilities and thus interrupting and ending their schooling. Today however, the government has set up strategies to curb it. In the country, there are many orphaned children and a high proportion of child headed households. Girls are part of those children who head such homes. Children in these households most of the time drop out of school early. Due to the 1994 destruction, Primary schools were left in very poor condition. Most schools had neither safe, potable water nor separate latrines for girls and boys; this also affects girls’ attendance. Children often walk long distances to school, which is dangerous for girls. However, the government of Rwanda has built schools in at least every sector and future plans to build a school in at least every cell will solve the problem of traveling long distances. The government has built many secondary schools to increase girls’ access. But the problem remains that very few girls go beyond the level, due to problems starting right from primary level. Success rates at the primary level have a direct impact on the girl’s education at a later level. They get lower scores that limit their chances of joining government Secondary Schools. This is clearly stated in the ministry of education strategic plan of action. The differences in performance rates between boys and girls are dramatic throughout primary and secondary education. Lower performance rates of girls especially in science subjects lead to an alarmingly low number of female students who succeed at the university. Ends
