CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Education is an inalienable right of all citizens irrespective of gender, age and nationality. According to FGN (2016), Education is seen as ‘an instrument par excellence’ which equips an individual with the right skills, knowledge, ability, competence, attitude, behaviour and values in order to function effectively in society. Education is equally a means to an end which assist citizens of a nation to develop their full potentials and capacity to contribute to societal development as well as to attain sustainable livelihood. Micheal (2018) described education as a key to a successful living, especially girl – child education.

Girl- child education is a catch – all- term for a complex set of issues and debates surrounding primary, secondary, tertiary and health education in particular for girls and women (Omede & Agahiu, 2016). The authors noted that denying the girl child access to education implies making her a dysfunctional member of the society. A girl child by definition is a biological female offspring from birth to eighteen years of age.

        As the world increasingly becomes a global village, it is widely accepted that the social and technological advancement of any nation is to a large extent dependent upon the educational development of its citizens. And for this to be achieved, the relevance of media (in facilitating education) and the education of the girl cannot be over emphasised in our society as it does not only improve the health of the family but affects the economic well-being of the country.

In line with this thinking, Akinmade (2017) observed that this can be seen from the behaviour of an educated girl who is refined, disciplined, a competent mother in all societal aspects, a knowledgeable family planner, a more productive and better paid worker, an informed citizen and a skilful decision-maker. In defence of women, Ezeoman (2017) also argued that women have always contributed significantly to the economic, social and political lives of their countries, even though their contributions have not always been topics of discussion among scholars and national development planners. Although the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child (CRC) stipulates in Article 18 that every child has a right to education and that the state’s duty is to ensure that primary education is free and compulsory, to encourage different forms of secondary education accessible to every child, and to make higher education available to all on the basis of capacity, 140 million children in the world still do not attend schools and two-third of them are girls (Hawley et al., 2015).

Education cannot take place without one form of communication or the other. Communication involves the process of sending and receiving information or messages. For messages to get transmitted (sent or received), they must pass through a channel, smedium or a transmitter. Thus, media are channels through which messages, information, ideas and knowledge are conveyed and or disseminated (NTI, 2016). Medium (or media in plural) is used in general to define a means of communication. It refers to anything that carries information between a source and a receiver. Media programmes with educational intent are means of communication used to disseminate messages with awakening goal. In spite of the media campaign on the importance of education and the fact that it is free for all, Umar (2017) posited that there are a number of school age children who do not attend primary school, either because they have not been enrolled or have dropped out for one reason or the other. In both cases, female children constitute the majority as indicated by statistics of enrolment in Nigerian primary and secondary schools. Rabiu (2018) observed that as a way of encouraging girl child education for national development, governments should support this campaign through funding and employing people who can go the grassroots for sensitisation. They also need to partner with other nongovernmental organisations, like the girl child concern, to champion this course. The federal government, through the universal basic education (UBE) programme, is making an effort at accelerating girl child education, and the programme has made some progress in increasing the school enrolment for girls in northern Nigeria. The popular saying is, if you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family. Although, extreme poverty, mass illiteracy, large-scale ignorance, high maternal mortality and fertility rates, child wastages and lack of access to health, education and social services may sound far and fictional, but to many indigenes and visitors to Shall and Yalwa village areas in Tafawa Balewa and Dass local areas, respectively, of Bauchi State (Nigeria), they are part and parcel of everyday life. The world, realising that these problems are not unique to Shall and Yalwa, met in September 2015, in the United Nation Organisation assembly and came up with Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which had an eight-point agenda, including the eradication of the worse kinds of poverty, UBE and gender equality. The realisation of the objectives of these MDGs is hinged just on one thing.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Scholars in Nigeria have conducted studies on the role of media in sensitizing people to gender-related issues (Oyewole & Olisa, 2017; Oyinade, Daramola & Lamidi, 2018; Ryerson, 2018; Messina, 2018). However, most have paid little or no attention to the role of radio in promoting knowledge of gender equality in rural areas of the SouthWest – which is low profile regarding this issue despite the region’s claim as the most educated in Nigeria. Summarily, the extant literature acknowledges that women are exposed to media especially radio in terms of information, but the information garnered from this medium is insufficient to push for gender equality as it relates to empowerment, poverty alleviation, and political participation among others. The results show that the radio programs are insufficient in causing a significant positive change and the needed awareness of gender equality. Further, these studies treat gender equality from an elitist perspective, forgetting that most women in the urban areas, unlike in the rural communities, listen far less to the radio. This study investigated how the radio contributes to knowledge about gender equality. This is important because women, especially those in rural areas are critical stakeholders and development agents in society (Somolu, 2018).

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The study seeks to examine radio and the promotion of girl child education in nasarawa state. The objectives of the study are:

1. To determine the content of "Ghangam Ghangam" Programme on FRCN for promotion of girl child education.
2. To establish the frequency of "Ghangam Ghangam" Programme on FRCN in creating awareness and promotion of girl child education in Nasarawa State.
3. To know how the messages from "Ghangam Ghangam" Programme on FRCN have been useful for creating awareness on girl child education in Nasarawa State.
4. To determine the challenges of "Ghangam Ghangam" Programme in creating awareness for girl child education.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research questions are:

1. To what extent is the public aware of "Ghangam Ghangam" Programme on FRCN?
2. What is the influence of "Ghangam Ghangam" Programme in creating awareness on girl child education in Nasarawa State?
3. How can "Ghangam Ghangam" Programme on FRCN have more influence in creating awareness on girl child education in Nasarawa State? 
4. What are the challenges of "Ghangam Ghangam" Programme in creating awareness for girl child education?
5. How has the messages from "Ghangam Ghangam" Programme on FRCN have been useful for creating awareness on girl child education in Nasarawa State?

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study covers on radio and the promotion of girl child education in nasarawa state with focus on the FRCN and the Ghangam Ghangam" Programme on how the promote girl child education.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this topic and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a bench mark or guide for other work or study. It avails individuals with information about radio and the promotion of girl child education in nasarawa state.