Abstract:
In Ghana, several governments have introduced measures to get more children enrolled and retained in school. Some of the measures introduced included the Accelerated Development Plan in 1951 which involved the community in supporting the education of their children; Free, Compulsory, Universal, Basic Education policy introduced in 1995 and the establishment of the Girls Education Unit to ensure that more girls have access to education.
The purpose of this study was to find out the extent to which the Tamale community supports female education. Tamale was chosen for study because the Northern Region is one area where female education is low. Tamale Metropolis was divided into 11communities. Five of the 11 communities were randomly selected to represent the Metropolis. The sample used for the study was also selected through the lottery method to get 300 households and 300 respondents for the study. A questionnaire and an interview schedule were used to collect data from respondents. The responses were edited, coded and organised into tables according to the requirements of the research questions.
The study revealed that nearly half of the respondents did not send their daughters to school. Also, most of those who did (11.0%) could not provide the girls with learning materials and the necessary financial support. It is therefore recommended that financial assistance be given to girls in school by District Assemblies and other stakeholders in education.
