Barriers to girls' secondary schooling in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on Nigeria and Uganda

Every day, girls all over the world strive to improve their lives through education, despite significant obstacles. This thesis is an examination of the barriers to girls' secondary schooling in Nigeria and Uganda as well as a review of interventions designed to overcome these challenges. Building on a historical and theoretical background, factors preventing girls from attending and succeeding in secondary school are investigated in detail. Programs and initiatives targeted to remedy these obstacles are examined at government, international and local levels. This work aims to encourage the reader to see girls as a resource, rather than a burden. I conducted research through a review of existing literature and three interviews with education experts, two in Washington, DC, and one in Uganda. The paper concludes that, though significant barriers to girls' secondary schooling exist, they can be addressed and mitigated through the work of government, international and local actors.