According to the World Bank, “Girls’ education goes beyond getting girls into school. It is also about ensuring that girls learn and feel safe while in school; have the opportunity to complete all levels of education; acquire the knowledge and skills to compete in the labour market; gain the socio-emotional and life skills necessary to navigate and adapt to a changing world; make decisions about their own lives; and contribute to their communities and the world.”
A girl’s education can be seen as a form of knowledge imparted to a young female child in order to increase her sense of dignity and self-respect.
Communities, countries, and the world are improved by promoting girls’ education. Girls who complete their education are more likely to have long, happy lives and are less likely to get married young. They improve their own and their families’ futures, earn more money and participate in decisions that most directly impact them.
Girls’ education increases economies and reduces inequality. It promotes the development of more stable, robust societies where all people, especially boys, and men, have the opportunity to realise their full potential.
During the Media Dialogue on Girls’ Education under the Girls’ Education Project (GEP3), the UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Kano, Mr. Rahama Mohammed Farah, disclosed that over 10 million girls are out of school in Nigeria and that the majority of them are from the northern part of the country.
The education of girls in Nigeria has several difficulties. They include among other things, sexism against women, restrictions based on culture and religion, illiteracy, the financial situation of the family, the distribution of family duties following the passing of the older family member, government regulations, early marriage, child labour, home, and social inequalities in gender, limitations placed on girls because of social standards, and insufficient educational resources, among others.
This piece will highlight the importance and ways in which girl-child education can make headway in Nigeria.
According to an African proverb, “If you educate a boy, you educate one person, but if you educate a girl, you educate a family and a nation.”
A woman who has achieved her full potential, strength, courage, and wisdom is a gift to society. This will increase social mobility and boost society’s productivity. It will also promote the participation of women in politics because well-educated women are better able to participate in politics and make valuable contributions to society’s administration.
A well-educated woman may speak up and be heard, especially when calling for justice and equality in matters that affect her and her family. Domestic and sexual violence decreased as a result of having a voice that was heard. Girls who receive an education are more likely to easily embrace safe sex, which lowers the prevalence of STDs. They are also more aware of ways to prevent other diseases.
As noted above, the importance of girl-child education can never be overemphasised, and below are the possible ways this activity can be improved in Nigeria:
• Remove barriers that prevent girls from attending school. Girls in many developing countries skip school during their periods because they lack access to sanitary pads or running water, especially in rural areas. In order to keep girls in school, the government should spearhead a drive to increase the accessibility of sanitary pads and other hindrances that might distract the girl child from school.
• Keeping the school going for girls. Safe Girls who have to travel a long way to school are more likely to be attacked and harassed. Girls are susceptible to harassment, aggression, and intimidation in and around the classroom in cultures that prevent women from pursuing an education. Education for females is improved in communities that try to assure their safety while attending school.
• Educate instructors on gender issues. Teachers and textbooks may perpetuate the stereotype that girls are less bright than boys or that women are solely suited for domestic work and child care. Girls can learn about the opportunities that education brings for them from teachers who have been taught to combat these misconceptions. The presence of many female professors aids in the fight against discrimination against girls and serves as a positive role model for female students.
• Reduce the girls’ domestic workload. In underdeveloped countries, girls and women are disproportionately responsible for household tasks including carrying water, cooking food, and washing clothes. It is the main reason why girls are kept out of school. Girls excel when household chores are divided among all family members.
• The Nigerian government and media should increase public awareness and implement rules that forbid discrimination against girl-child education in order to raise the standard of female education.
• Religious leaders can support this by educating their followers, who might also be parents or relatives, about the value of educating girls and discouraging them from holding unfavourable views about it.
• The general public should be more involved in issues relating to girl-child education by addressing infrastructure gaps, enhancing teacher professional development, and raising awareness to persuade people to give priority to the education of girls. The government should promote the education of girls.
• Proper working systems should be created by the government to meet the special demands of female students. The daily timetables and the yearly calendar should be flexible. Fewer vacation periods can be designed to accommodate seasonal jobs or religious holidays in order to make up for time lost due to fewer school days.
• Multiple delivery systems should receive assistance from the local governments. Even the goal of universal primary education, let alone the subsequent levels of education, cannot be met by the formal sector alone. It is necessary to provide education for girls through a variety of channels, including formal schools run by the public and private sectors of the nation; non-formal training schools and centres, which are less structured than the formal ones; non-traditional alternative schools, which are even more flexible than the former two mechanisms and work around the limitations of out-of-school children; adult literacy programmes; and so on.
• Improvement of activity and functionality of the Primary Education Management Board’s District and Village Education Committees These two management structure pillars support localization and decentralisation of education, which encourage community participation in educational endeavours and increase parental involvement in the educational process.
The Nigerian government should strictly attend to issues regarding girl-child education, and the general public must also continue to communicate this message to others. We, as individuals, must carry on in this manner until every female child is given the chance to attend school.
