THE TODAY'S NEGLECTED BOY-CHILD

THE TODAY'S NEGLECTED BOY-CHILD

The persistent campaigns and awareness towards the retention and care of the girl child has   started to bear the much awaited fruits.However,in retrospect

the society has ignored the plight of the boy-child .The once promising star has started to lose its light and darkness is slowly taking over the foundations that were laid down for the success of the boy-child.It is not that I am trying to go against the wish of many and the milestones attained,but I am only trying  to bring out the negligence that the 21st  century boy child is undergoing.Generally we cannot refute the claim that history no matter how it is hated,it must be used for us to focus and plan for the future.

The enrollment to school has received a tremendous boost,thanks to the campaigns conducted by the government,Non-Governmental Organizations and other stakeholders in the society today.The number of girls enrolled to join primary and secondary school has seen a great improvement ,but despite this,we should take into consideration the retention,completion,performance and the transitional rates among this large numbers.According to research that was done,with regard to the boy-child rates of dropping out of school it was derived out that the boy boy is at a higher risk to drop out of school.For instance among the 620,000 boys and 586,000 girls who joined standard one in 2005, by 2010 there were only 558,000 boys compared to 562,000 girls (world bank,2005). This claim shows that despite the fact that the boy-child joins  school in large numbers,their survival rates is very low compared to that  of girls.This is generally attributed to the very many challenges faced by the boy-child in carrying out his studies.

Due to the various measures and initiatives that are being taken by the government and various N.G.Os to ensure that the girl-child does succeed in the society.This has been at the expense of the boy-child.How many students drop out of school,due to failures to attain average marks required to proceed to the next level?,and how many of these are boys? People today argue that most boys perform well as compared to the girls,this perception has really started to fade out,and the gap is being reduced.Despite the stiff competition between the boy-child and the girl-child,the girl-child  will obviously get favors during admission stages.The boy-child mostly fall into being the victims of drug abuse,criminal activities and very many social immoral,and once all this is at disposal then he can opt to drop out of school.

If protective measures are not going to be taken,then we are at a great risk to lose a very important species(boy-child) that is required to turn the society to be conducive for existence.I am not subjective here to females  being leaders who can transform the society and guard the values of a society,but my claim is that,the existence of the boy-child is very crucial for the success of any society.This is generally because the boy-child is considered to be more aggressive and physical in nature compared to females.This is because of the testosterone in males that makes the average male brain more prone towards any physical activity,and the boy child are less likely to cause harm and this is the kind of people required for any revolution to take place, and if we are going to lose them,then it going to be hard to realize the societal dreams

It is true even from the biblical stories of creation that man is supposed to toil and moil to provide for the family,Yes it is true I am not in denial.The fact remains clear that for the male child to struggle and make it in life,he must be provided with the favorable conditions for the same.Take for instance the numbers of male students who fail in standard 8 exams and they do not proceed to secondary and also consider the one who sit for the secondary school exams yet they fail,what is their plight?They easily drop out of school.The transition rate here from one level to the next is very low .However,the main concern here should be the taking care of both the boy-child and the girl-child,we cannot afford to lose all our energies and attention to only tje girl-child yet the other one is going astray.Everyone should be brought int consideration.

Cases of street children is on the rise,and this is very questionable,the large numbers of street children are boys,jobless young boys who spend their entire day by the roadsides is very questionable.The society today and that of tomorrow needs the boy-child .The sole proprietors of tomorrow lies deep within this street children if equal opportunity is accorded to all equally.My opinion is that before the situation gets out of hand the government should take quick initiatives to help save this falling generation of young guys..All children are the future leaders of tomorrow and the guardians of the future,and the first aim of every family and society should be to raise healthy and productive Individuals who are physically,psychologically and mentally well developed.These can be achieved through the guidance and the education of the boy-child who is the father of tomorrow.

By Rafael Kagwera