Bulgarian Journal of Science and Education Policy (Dec 2022)
Management Strategies and Policy Initiatives for Bridging Gender Gap in Science and Technology Education on Nigerian Higher Institutions of Learning
Abstract
Education is an essential instrument for the empowerment of girls and women. In the same manner, quality education designed for women and girls immediate and strategic needs, builds their capacities and prepares them to occupy positions and creates opportunities for them in the public and private sectors in every society. The Millenium Development Goals (2000), the Education for All (1990), Dakar (2000) and the Beijing Platform as well as the most recent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have consistently placed emphasis on the importance of education in promoting gender equality and advancement of women. In Nigeria, as in many developing economies, there is a gender gap in science and technology education with girl-child and women at a disadvantage state; this has led successive governments to introduce some interventions to address the issue at the basic, secondary and tertiary levels of education. Although, Nigeria educational reform as stated in the National Economic Empowerment and Development strategy (NEEDs) document also shows considerable focus on girls higher education but one can say that up till now, a lot of Nigerian girls and women unlike their male counterparts are still not enrolled at the tertiary level. The paper examined issues relating to gender disparities and participation in science and technology education with a view to developing a model towards reducing the observed gender gap in higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. The paper also proposes the management strategies and policy initiatives that can be adopted to bridge the existing gender gap in science and technology education in order to achieve gender equity.
