Influence of Socio-Cultural Practices on Enrollment, Retention and academic Performance of Secondary School Female Students in Osun State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64348/zije.2026286Abstract
The state of the education of girls is one of the current international concerns as the United Nations has recently published the International Day of Education, 2023 in which it has stated that the world is failing 130 million girls and that girl’s education is the key to well-being and prosperity of all. Although governments across the world have been working relentlessly, especially in the third world countries such as Nigeria, there are still a lot of challenges. The research is aimed at exploring the effects of socio-cultural practices on the education of girl-child in the secondary school level in Osun State, Nigeria. The uses quantitative survey to analyze the multifaceted nature of cultural traditions and education access. The theoretical framework used in the study is Gender Role Theory, which analyzes the socio-cultural practices that influence the education of girls, evaluates how they influence the school enrollment, retention and performance results, and determines factors that lead to the education attainment of girls. The sampling involved 10 secondary schools in Osun State with 10 students and 10 teachers in each school which makes 200 participants. The evidence suggests that the cultural practices such as patriarchal ethos, early marriages, and religious requirements are so embedded in the society that they are exerting uncontrollable influence on the government policies that seek to encourage education by girls. The study highlights the pressing nature of the necessity of addressing the problem of culturally sensitive interventions and community involvement to guarantee equal access to education among all girls within the Osun State and the national development and gender equality in Nigeria.
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