FOR the past many years, the girl students are stamping their authority in pursuing education as well as showing results that are far better than boys` in major examinations being conducted by boards and universities.
Besides grabbing almost all top positions in examinations – with the exception of results where positions are announced separately among boys and girls – the girl students are also showing better pass percentages. Girls sometimes are posting double the pass percentages as compared to those obtained by boys.
In the BA/BSc annual examination results declared last Friday, girls` pass percentage stood at 40.48 while only 20.84 per cent boys could earn the graduation degree. In humanities, girls` and boys` pass percentages stood at 38 and 19.25, respectively. In science group, boys showed 26.49 pass percentage, while girls posted more than double — 55.91 — pass percentage.
Besides showing that girls are better learners and hard workers, the results also reflect that a larger number of girls are joining higher education institutions on merit. Overall in BA/BSc, only 1,773 boys bagged first division against 10,023 girls. In second division, there are only 7,322 boys against 28,995 girls.
Over the years, a debate is going on in Punjab University regarding ever-growing ratio of girls joining this co-education institution. People believe that this situation will soon emerge as a social problem, when society will have more qualified and educated girls than boys, who culturally are the breadwinners of their families.
This situation eventually led to the conduct of two research studies in the Punjab University that are trying to peep into the social issues when girls will be more educated than boys in the society; and the factors behind gender differences in pursuance of higher education.
PU Applied Psychology Department chairperson Dr Rukhsana Kausar and lecturer Shehnila Tariq, who are conducting the second study, came up with initial findings and shared with the journalists.
Stating that they are interviewing masters` level students, parents and teachers teaching at secondary school, intermediate and graduation levels in public sector institutions, Dr Kausar said a majority of survey participants attributed boys` non-pursuance of higher education to their personal habits as well as irresponsible and careless attitudes. The survey suggested that boys showed lack of interest in studies owing to poor previous academic performance, excessive autonomy and frequent use of technology.
Dr Kausar said the survey also revealed that there were some institutional factors that prevented students from developing interest in seeking education. All stakeholders say that boys are getting non-conducive institutional environment. Teachers` attitude is not friendly and boys are confronted with boring ways of teaching coupled with punishments and penalties.
On the other hand, the stakeholders also observed that family and future concerns also held students back from seeking higher education in the first place. With poor economic backgrounds, the parents are compelling their sons to join the workforce – technical or even non-technical – and earn some money to keep the family`s day-to-day affairs running. Boys generally stop pursuing higher education and either look for technical education or start doing low-income jobs. “The parents do not realise that the low-income jobs at the cost of higher education destroy the quality of their sons` lives, who remain trapped in making their both ends meet throughout their lives,” she observed.
Referring to girls` willingness in pursuance of higher education, the researchers said that a majority of those surveyed said that girls` better study habits, interest in studies, previous academic performance, commitment and hard work led to their better results in examinations. A sense of competitiveness among girls was reported to be the major reason for their commitment to seeking higher education.
Dr Kausar suggested that the government must assess the role of boys` colleges in public sector and improve them on a war footing to enable boys to seek quality education with interest and then compete and excel in the outer world to lead better lives.Dawn.
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