Abstract

Whereas the Millennium Development Goal 3 seeks to promote gender equality and empower women, with a specific target of eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later by 2015, this study discovers that whereas the former target has been largely achieved, the latter (i.e. eliminating gender disparity in all levels of education) may not be achieved by 2015 in certain parts of Africa, including Nigeria. In advancing possible reasons for inequity in access to secondary/tertiary education, and the attrition rate of enrolled students from these institutions, an earlier study took a critical look at each of the following groups of disadvantaged students: • the female student • the poor student • the rural student • the physically challenged student. This study however took a detailed look at the female student and it was found that access to secondary and university education is often hampered by lack of awareness, financial constraints, and socio-cultural prejudices against the girl child. The authors offered suggestions on the roles that could be played by parents, the community, government, and the university system in alleviating much of these obstacles. Compared to previous research, the paper highlighted the results of a study carried out in 80 low income countries which showed that in 47 out of 54 African countries (including Nigeria), girls have less that 50 percent chance of going to secondary school. The paper concludes by suggesting a radical reengineering of the secondary/tertiary education system in Nigeria, into differentiated levels and segments, to ease off the current pressure on the system. The paper also suggests the grant of autonomy to the university system, to be let off its leach of reliance on government in the policy formulation and implementation in respect of matters of internal structure of the individual university. Lastly, according to the paper, when the practice of discriminating against females in the area of access to education is considerably reduced especially in Nigeria, then the chances of meeting the Millennium Development Goal of universal access to education would have been considerably achieved.