UNICEF Harps On Girl Child Education

By Sule ALIYU, Bauchi

The Educational Field Officer UNICEF Bauchi, Mr Emeka Olora, has harped on the importance of education, particularly for the girl-child, declaring that, “if you educate a girl-child, it is like you educate the whole world. An educated mother will educate her children and the nation at large.”

Mr. Olora  who stated this at the Government Girls College, Bauchi, during the launch and flag off of Girls for Girls (G4G) initiative in the state, with collaboration from UNICEF, the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and a Bauchi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Fahimta Women and Youths Development Initiative (FAWOYDI).

According to her, a woman without education is like a waste product to her family and appealed that, “let us allow our female children to have access to education before getting married.”

Speaking at the occasion, wife of Bauchi state governor, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed Abubakar, stated that the state has the least enrollment rate of girl-child in Junior Secondary School (JSS) in Nigeria, particularly in the North-East region, even as she says about 62 million girls are out of school worldwide with majority of them coming from Africa and other developing countries.

According to the governor’s wife, most women miss out of education due to one reason or the other, adding that the launch of G4G in Bauchi State is a right step towards addressing the issue of girl-child education in the state.

“The launch of this project which is a complete package at mentoring programme that support girls to remain and complete basic education on one hand and promotes better understanding of values of education by parents on the other hand is a step towards addressing the aforementioned issue of girl child education,” she said.

She, however, expressed the hope that the project would empower girls in the state to appreciate themselves and why they ought to not only remain in school but also aspire for higher education.

“It is our hope that G4G will empower our girls to appreciate who they are and why they should remain in school and aspire for higher education by the support of them to overcome the barriers that hinders girls’ education.

“The need for increase on retention and completion of girls’ education call for all hands to be on deck,” Hajiya Abubakar said.

She then called on everyone to support girl-child education and sanction the growing cases of child abuse, molestation and other barriers that deny the girl-child the opportunity to reach her potential.

“I urge us all to continue to support girls’ education drive, check, and sanction the growing cases of child abuse, molestation and other barriers that deny the girl-child the opportunity to reach her potentials educationally.”

In her address on the occasion, the President of FAWOYDI, Hajiya Maryam Garba, urged parents to allow their children to go to school and finish at least secondary school before giving them out in marriage, adding that the Girls for Girls (G4G) initiative is aimed at contributing to output one of the third phase of the girls education project, which is being implemented in five northern states of Nigeria, namely Bauchi, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger and Kebbi.

She urged parents not to regard female education as a waste, adding that the G4G initiative is aimed at improving girls’ retention in school in the state with a view to making them appreciating themselves.

“So parents should do away with bad intention towards their female children in school. They should not say female education is a waste.

The Girls for Girls (G4G) intervention is aimed at improved girls retention in schools to appreciate who they are,” she stated.

She further informed that the overall aim of the G4G initiative is to address barriers to girls’ education through increase demand for understanding and values of basic education by parents that will promote positive impact on girls’ enrollment.

In his welcome address, the Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board, Professor Ibrahim Yaro, emphasised the need for improvement in girl-child education in the country.

He, therefore, called on parents to allow and support their female children to go to school and not only allow them to finish primary and secondary schools but also allow them to further their education to higher institutions, declaring that, “marriage should follow after school.”


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