Effect of cultural factors on low access to basic education among girls in Bali Lga, Taraba State Nigeria

The best asset for developing any society lies on investment in human capital, especially through education. Free basic education has been viewed as a panacea to the development of human capital, especially in the third world countries. One of these countries, such as Nigeria in West Africa, has compulsory policy on free basic education. However, despite heavy investment in the sector, access to basic education for the girl child remains a challenge. The study sought to establish cultural factors affecting low access of the girl-child to free primary education in Nigeria with a focus on Bali Local Government Area (LGA).The study employed a cross sectional survey research design. An interview schedule and questionnaire were used to collect data. Data collected was analyzed using content analysis and with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer programme respectively. Both qualitative and quantitative data was presented using descriptive statistics. The study has established that cultural factors have an effect on the girl child’s access to basic education in Bali LGA. From study findings, it is shown that over four fifths (81%) of the households had six and above members of household. The size of a household was found to have implications on access to education for girls in the study area with regard to resource allocation and utilization. It was glaring during the study that preference on access to education was predominantly (80%) given to boys, parents preferred to educate boys compared to girls (20%).This mirrors the situation in Nigeria, owing to the patriarchal nature of the Nigerian society. The researcher recommends that the Ministry of Education to work with UNICEF and USAID to organize schooling feeding programme in the area with respect to large family sizes. Relevant ministries in collaboration with Ministry of Education should create more awareness on family planning strategy. It was recommended that the girlchild be given equal access to educational opportunity, to contribute meaningfully in her community and the nation at large.