By Eunice Naffie Mustapha
In Sierra Leone, most women have the motivation and vision to take active part in governance and in the socio-economic advancement of the country. However, it is easily discernible that the amount of female participation in the job market needed to stimulate economic growth in the country is pretty minimal. The male/female labor force is grossly skewed and imbalance.
The key factor militating against the chances of women in this regard is illiteracy. Most women of Sierra Leone lack a formal education and skills to be able to fully compete in the country’s job market. I believe that if they are provided with the requisite skills there will be marked improvement in their employability.
I am pleading to the Government of Sierra Leone to invest more in the provision of formal education for females in Sierra Leone, especially the vulnerable ones - those from poverty-stricken homes, the disabled, etc.
To my mind, the best place to start investing in is in the education of girls, as they are the future leaders of the society. They must not only help in ensuring a free education for them, but should also ensure these girls are provided with the necessary educational materials that will help widen their horizons such as books, access to laboratories and technology, etc.
With a free education up to university level, the rate of literate women in the country will increase, tremendously.
Furthermore, there should be investment in adult education for women. Most females did not have the opportunity to attend school early in life and some of them will work very hard to get access to a formal education irrespective of their age. With an investment in adult education, such women will be enlightened and they will have the necessary instrument to participate in the labor force of the country.
Moreover, some females are talented in skills connected to informal education such as catering, hairdressing, tailoring etc. If existing vocational institutes are well funded and if more vocational institutes are established in the country, it will be beneficial to most women. Most women will be made self-reliant. With skills acquired from vocational institutes, they will be able to establish mini-factories of their own, which will be a major step in the true development process of Sierra Leone.
I believe educating women and girls in Sierra Leone will not only lead to empowerment of females which will motivate them to participate fully in the country’s affairs, but will also lead to true growth in the country.
If you develop the self esteem of women - as most of us in Sierra Leone lack that - true growth will be engendered. The lack of that self belief has made them prefer being in the background, leaving the affairs of the country almost entirely to the men.
Another important thing to ensure the development of women is through the empowerment of women’s rights organisations such as Girl Child Network, Fifty-Fifty etc. Naturally because the heads of these organisations are females, and their goals are to empower girls and women, they will be an impetus and a motivation for women folks. Because of their existence they will serve as a bulwark against such backward things like rape, early marriage, teenage pregnancy etc. And nothing better tackles vulnerability of women and girls as such.
In a nutshell, we should invest in women and girls as that is the only way they can get a job and become self reliant. Once that happens they are empowered and the beauty inside them will come to the fore. Consequently society will benefit.
The author is an 18-year-old SSS pupil at the Annie Walsh Secondary School.
(C) Politico 2016
