A non governmental organization NGO has called for a better educational system that will boost enrolment, retention and completion of the Girl-Child in secondary school in Nigeria,
Project Coordinator, Niger
Malala Fund and Connected Development, Richard Abubakar Umar during the #Vote4GirlsEducation campaign said the issues of affordability, accessibility and availability of secondary schools can be a significant hindrance to girls’ enrolment, retention and completion in secondary school.
Speaking during a town hall meeting with the theme, Re-Imaging Girl-Child Education in Nigeria: Time to Act in Minna, Umar called on policymakers to make the Girl-Child Education a top priority.
He said in recent times, improving gender equality in education has become a prominent topic in Nigeria, adding that “there are humongous disparities between the education that boys and girls receive. Many girls do not have access to education after a certain age”.
According to him “the 2022 data from UNICEF shows that over 20 million Nigerian children are out of school (OOSC), making Nigeria one of the top three countries in the world.
“This data is worrisome and disastrous to our progress and development as a nation. We have observed low political will and low commitment by State actors to provide gender-responsive education policies, programmes and budgeting.”
He added that It is in this vein, in line with the organisational objectives of Malala Fund, that we are proposing to launch a 3 months aggressive campaign to mobilise and educate citizens to ask critical questions from aspiring office holders during this electioneering period
Furthermore, he disclosed that the campaign, in line with the Girl-child Education Project of CODE, will support Arewa social media influencers on sustainable leadership, development campaign skills and financial support to sustain the gains of the Girl-child education project so as to amplify the issues of OOSC in Nigeria especially as it affect the girls.
A “Vote4GirlsEducation” campaign will be launched focusing but not limited to the 2 proposed states (Niger and Yobe).
Highlight of the event was an interactive session and a panel of discussion.
Other groups and individuals include, Director Research and Planning Niger State Univasal Basic Education Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Niger State and Founder of Aye Wosai Foundation Mary Noel Barje, the Co- Chair Open Government Partnership Samuel Yisa Doko, Initiative for Social Development in Africa (ISODAF), Mathew Oladele and Representative of the Minna Emirate Council, Tukuran Minna Alh. Iliyasu Kuta.
