Social Security Commission (SSC) Executive Officer Milka Mungunda says girls being raised differently from boys is a cultural issue which cannot be denied.
Mungunda said this here on Monday at the official opening of a conference on Namibian boys’ underachievement and lack of participation in education, which is being held under the theme ‘The boys we leave behind: Findings and recommendations from a national study on boys’ education’.
Taking place over two days, it aims to discuss the findings of a four-year long research project on Namibian boys’ underachievement and lack of participation in education.
“The boy is taught he should not cry, he should be strong and he must not wash dishes, however the girl is taught she must be soft and she gets all the attention. What happens at the end of the day is we are actually creating a system of difference and we are cultivating the society which we are facing today,” Mungunda said.
She added this results in a boy child who does not have self-respect, self-love and has low self-esteem, which leads to destructive outlets.
“We forget that the boy child is also a human being who has feelings and also wants to be nourished and loved. When this child grows up and becomes a family man he becomes abusive, then we have a lot of domestic violence which we cannot understand,” she said.
The EO stated that the research shows the reason for the increase in domestic violence has to do with how society treats boys.
Also speaking at the event was Pastor Thomas Endjala, who said education starts at home.
“It starts by parents teaching their children about life. By parents being involved in the education of their children and by fathers encouraging their sons and setting a good example to them. If we have such men in our nation, our nation will be a better one,” Endjala said.
The conference is intended to gather educational stakeholders from all 14 regions in the country to share their insights and recommendations on how to support boys’ education within the gender equality and inclusive education national frameworks
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
