Security Challenges as a Socio Economic Factor Engendering Gender Disparity of Access to University Education: Towards Full Utilization of Open and Distance Education in Curving Gender Disparity among Potential University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper is about the issue of insecurity situation in Kano State as one of the socio economic forces which, serves as a constraint to access to university education most especially to girls and women. It is abundantly clear girls and women are put in disadvantage position for always coming out to seek knowledge where there is high risk of security challenges. They deserved to be encouraged and protected under normal circumstances for them to pursue their constitutional right (education).It is based on this, that Open and Distance Learning is found to be one of the suitable avenues of curving gender disparity in respect of access to education most especially university education in Nigeria. Four thousand and seventy nine (4079) faculty of education undergraduate students of Bayero University constitute the population of the study out of which four hundred and eight (408) were drawn to serve as a sample size of the research. Five research questions were raised and corresponding hypotheses were formulated and tested using a Chi Square Statistics to detect and find out whether there are significant differences among the opinions of both male and female students in their opinions with regards to the relevance of Open and Distance Education in curving gender disparity towards access to university education under the predicament situation. // Paper ID: 345