Teachers percetion On The Effect of Early Marriage On The Giri-child Access To Education In Jos South L.O.A Plateau State

Abstract

This paper explores the issue of early marriage in Jos South Local Government Area in Plateau State, Nigeria. 11 sheds light specifically on reasons belund its perpetuation, its harmful consequences, shows how it constitutes a barrier to education and enjoyments of girls' human rights and how it further threatens the development of the Local Government Area. The data collected was obtained through primary and secondary sources. The sources involved the use of questionnaires which were administered directly to respondents, while, the secondary sources were derived from a vigorous review of literature. The findings from review literature on early marriage suggest that early marriage is due to many factors including among others, the search for economic survival, protection of young girls, peer group and family pressure, controlling female behaviour and sexuality, wars on civil conflicts and socio-cultural and religious values, ’ll is a violation of girls' human right as it deprives her from freedom of opportunity for personal development and other rights. It is also a development challenge for population pressure, health care cost and lost opportunities for physical development. It is a barrier to girls' education as young girls drop °ul of school to gel married which imparls negatively on the community as a whole and the wellbeing of future generation. This practice stands in direct conflict with the objectives of thP Millennium Development Goals (MDG'S), such as promotion of basic education, fight against poverty, the prevention of HfV/AIDS and the reduction of maternal mortality rate. To deal with the problem a number of strategies have been suggested mainly providing economic opportunities Io young girls, promoting education of girls and using mass media to increase awareness of the whole community about the consequences and dangers of early marriage on girls themselves, their families and the society as a whole.