RURAL PEOPLE’S ATTITUDES TOWARDS GIRLS EDUCATION IN SHARKIA AND BENI SUEF GOVERNORATES

The study aimed at identifying rural people’s at-titudes towards girls education through identifying the attitudes level of rural people, determining the significant differences between interviewees in both Sharkia and Beni Suef governorates, identify-ing the relationship between studied independent variables and attitudes degree of rural people to-wards girls education and finally determining the relative contribution of most important variables in explaining the variance in attitudes degree of rural people.
The study was conducted in “Beni Amer and Al-Asloogy” villages from Zagazig district “markaz”, Sharkia governorate and “Belfia” and Tazmant Al-Sharkia” from Beni Suef district “markaz”, Beni Suef governorate. Data were collected by personal interview questionnaire after testing its validity, and data were collected during March and April 2007. The following statistical methods were used: Pearson simple correlation coefficient, t-test, step-wise analysis, frequencies and percentages.
The following represent the most important results of the study:
 Rural people attitudes towards girl’s education in Sharkia and Beni Suef governorates were posi-tive representing about 53% and 49% respec-tively.
 No significant differences were found between the two studied governorates in regard of atti-tudes towards girls’ education.
 The most important related variables to rural people attitudes towards girls’ education in both
governorates were: interviewee’s age, interview-ee’s years of education, family’s monthly in-come, interviewee’s culture cosmopoliteness, in-terviewee’s participation degree in development projects, social organizations membership, pov-erty prevalence degree in village from interview-ees’ point of view and interviewee’s perception to local community problems, except family’s av-erage age, family size and degree of interview-ee’s utilization of local community services were effective only in Sharkia governorate.
 Four independent variables explain about 47% of the variance in the dependent variable (rural people attitudes degree towards girls’ education) in Sharkia governorate which are: interviewee’s age, satisfaction upon community provided ser-vices, interviewee’s organization membership, and family’s participation in developmental pro-jects.
 Three independent variables explain about 65% of the variance in the independent variable (rural people attitudes degree towards girls’ education) in Beni Suef governorate which are: family’s par-ticipation in developmental projects, interview-ee’s years of education and interviewee’s organ-ization membership.
 The most important reasons that apprehend rural people from educating their girls in both governorates were: low economic status, people unconvinced with education, traditions and cul-ture that prevent girls’ education. Their sugges-tions to enhance girls’ education were: convince and raise rural people’s awareness about girls’ education, expand school establishments in all villages regarding population density and de-crease young girls’ laborers phenomena.