KEEPING THE GIRL CHILD IN SCHOOL

An educated woman empowers the society at large

The girl child in our society is often discriminated upon. Nigeria holds the second largest number of out of school children conservatively put at 10.5 million. About 60 per cent of these are girls, according to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF). The girl child is usually the one sent into the streets to hawk, or to go and work as house help for more fortunate families in order to bring additional income.

Even though basic education is free in most states and some states currently provide one meal a day for pupils to encourage poor parents to send their children to school, many of the parents also cannot afford to buy for their female wards other essentials which are not provided for under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme.

For instance, the unsuitability of sanitary facilities, such as water and toilets contribute to keeping girls away from school in several communities within our country and understandably so too. A girl child, dealing with the challenges of attaining puberty, needs a safe place to maintain proper hygiene, which sadly is not available in most places.

That s why we must commend the Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative, a non government organisation that is already working through its safe space clubs to teach girls in rural areas how to make re-usable sanitary pads from easily available pieces of clothes and waterproof fabric. They must be encouraged to continue the good work. But corporate organisations can also key into such initiative, and consider distribution of free sanitary pads, or towels, to girls from poor homes, to enhance their chances of staying in school.

Early marriage has also been identified as a major mitigating factor against girl child education, not just due to poverty, but cultural and religious practices. Many girls are married off before the age of 15. This particularly remains an issue in the northern parts of the country where there is a higher percentage of girl child illiteracy. Indeed, attitudes to western education do not help the cause of the girl child in some parts of the north. The consequence is the high rate of maternal and infant mortality in the country.

While the government has been making efforts to reduce illiteracy rates through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and other relevant agencies, it is obvious that such efforts are not enough. A good step would be to enlist prominent citizens from the most affected areas to serve as ambassadors of basic education and to create awareness in girl child education. Engaging prominent traditional and religious rulers, who are outspoken on the cause, would also be a step in the right direction. The government also needs to ensure that its relevant agencies are working to provide safe learning environments for pupils with adequate sanitary facilities.

The benefits of keeping the girl child in school are enormous. Education empowers them to claim their rights, besides preparing them for leadership role in society. An educated expectant woman is likely to take steps to access pre-natal and post natal services, leading to a reduction in infant and maternal mortality rates to which Nigeria is again the second largest contributor globally. An educated woman is also likely to ensure some basic level of education for her children, leading to a reduction in national illiteracy rates, and poverty levels in the long term.