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<p>This study explored the factors predicting the low enrolment of Muslim girls in basic schools in the Zongo community of Kpassa in the Nkwanta North District of Ghana. A qualitative research approach employing a phenomenological design was adopted to examine participants’ lived experiences and perceptions. Fifteen participants, comprising ten Muslim female Junior High School students and five Muslim parents from the Zongo community, were purposively selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically. The findings revealed that the interaction of socio-economic, cultural, and institutional factors shapes the low enrolment of Muslim girls. Socio-economic barriers included poverty, household financial constraints, migration, and girls’ involvement in income-generating activities. Cultural barriers comprised early marriage, teenage pregnancy, domestic responsibilities, gender preference for boys’ education, and parental concerns that formal education may conflict with Islamic values. The study further found that economic hardship reinforces these cultural practices, leading many families to prioritise boys’ education over girls’. In addition, inadequate school infrastructure, safety concerns, and the shortage of female teachers further discouraged girls’ enrolment and retention. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), District Assemblies, religious leaders, and non-governmental organisations collaborate to strengthen financial support for vulnerable households, promote sustained community sensitisation on the value of girls’ education, improve gender-responsive school infrastructure, and integrate Islamic Religious Studies and Arabic Studies into basic and senior high schools located in Muslim communities to increase parental confidence in formal education. The study contributes to the growing discourse on Muslim girl-child education by demonstrating the complex interaction between socio-economic conditions, religion, and cultural norms that influence educational participation. Its findings provide evidence to inform culturally responsive policies and targeted interventions aimed at improving educational equity, reducing gender inequality and poverty, empowering Muslim girls economically, and promoting inclusive national development.</p>

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Investigating the barriers to basic school enrolment among Muslim girls in a Zongo community in the Nkwanta North District of Ghana

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月1日

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  • Aliwu Ibrahim Hussein,
  • Mavis Okyere,
  • Musah Ali Sulemana

摘要

This study explored the factors predicting the low enrolment of Muslim girls in basic schools in the Zongo community of Kpassa in the Nkwanta North District of Ghana. A qualitative research approach employing a phenomenological design was adopted to examine participants’ lived experiences and perceptions. Fifteen participants, comprising ten Muslim female Junior High School students and five Muslim parents from the Zongo community, were purposively selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically. The findings revealed that the interaction of socio-economic, cultural, and institutional factors shapes the low enrolment of Muslim girls. Socio-economic barriers included poverty, household financial constraints, migration, and girls’ involvement in income-generating activities. Cultural barriers comprised early marriage, teenage pregnancy, domestic responsibilities, gender preference for boys’ education, and parental concerns that formal education may conflict with Islamic values. The study further found that economic hardship reinforces these cultural practices, leading many families to prioritise boys’ education over girls’. In addition, inadequate school infrastructure, safety concerns, and the shortage of female teachers further discouraged girls’ enrolment and retention. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), District Assemblies, religious leaders, and non-governmental organisations collaborate to strengthen financial support for vulnerable households, promote sustained community sensitisation on the value of girls’ education, improve gender-responsive school infrastructure, and integrate Islamic Religious Studies and Arabic Studies into basic and senior high schools located in Muslim communities to increase parental confidence in formal education. The study contributes to the growing discourse on Muslim girl-child education by demonstrating the complex interaction between socio-economic conditions, religion, and cultural norms that influence educational participation. Its findings provide evidence to inform culturally responsive policies and targeted interventions aimed at improving educational equity, reducing gender inequality and poverty, empowering Muslim girls economically, and promoting inclusive national development.