By Mutuvi Janet
Education Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Sarah Ruto has called for a research to ascertain why girls and young women end up not pursuing further education.
Speaking during the launch of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Strategic Plan for 2022-2026 in Nairobi, Ruto noted that girls and young women often start school at the same level as boys but few end up finishing their education and pursuing careers.
“In universities offering law courses the ratio of girls to boys indicates that girls are more compared to boys at the beginning of the course but the number of girls who manage to move to the next level is very low,” she stated.
According to the data and empirical evidence, what girls experience in their daily lives to make them not farther their education or careers is vital to ending inequality against them.
She urged FAWE to take up the task of looking into what happens after school and the effects it has on gender equality.
“Apparently most girls leave professional school and opt to choose marriage life and start families. Due to the new family, they choose to stay home and build a family since rather than go to school unlike their partners. Their dreams then become a pipe dream,” she said.
However, Dr. Ruto said that women should never feel guilty for choosing the family route since raising a family is as great as building a career and that they need to be supported because they serve so many purposes in the society.
FAWE’s plan is to advance the education of girls in various circumstances, especially getting them back to school after giving birth.
