Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has pledged the commitment of traditional and religious leaders to the implementation of policies that would address girl-child educational barriers across the country.
The Sultan made the pledge in Abuja, Tuesday, at the National Conference of Traditional and Religious Leaders on Girls Education and Empowerment.
News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the conference had as theme: ”Effective Partnerships on Girls Education, Out-of School Children Education for National Development.”
NAN also reports that the event was organised by Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, AGILE.
Abubakar said all hands must be on deck to eliminate the barriers hindering the education of the girl-child in the country.
According to him, we should not and must not meet again to discuss issues about the education of our girls. What we must do is implement all what we have discussed.
“Implementation is what we need to do. And that is why we have these leaders here to take home what we are going to agree to do.
“We are committed because it is a guarantee that we are 100 percent ready to implement whatever we have come up with, with the support of the National Assembly.”
In his remarks, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed that the ministry recently inaugurated the National Education Sector Renewal Initiative, NESRI, as a strategic response to address the systemic challenges facing the education sector.
Alausa said this is to prioritise the education of the girl-child, recognising it as pivotal to reducing the alarming number of out-of-school children and achieving national development goals.
He urged traditional and faith leaders to serve as gatekeepers to all communities in securing their buy-in, with a view to advance the education of the girl-child in the country.
“For Nigeria to achieve its educational and developmental goals, we must move beyond policies and programmes. Continuous advocacy, sensitisation and community engagement are essential.
“Parents, women, youths and all segments of the society must see the education of the girl-child as a shared responsibility and a moral imperative,” he said.
Similarly, the Country Director, World Bank, Mr Ndiame Diop, emphasised the importance of girls’ education in Nigeria.
Diop, represented by the Deputy Country Director, World Bank, Taimur Samad, acknowledged the significant challenges of the girl-child which include high dropout rate, early marriages and teenage pregnancies.
He commended the commitment of the federal government, governors and traditional leaders through AGILE programmes in reaching more than 25 million children, including nine million adolescent girls across 18 states.
Highlighting the progress of AGILE, he noted that more than four million children, including 2.2 million girls, had already benefited from improved facilities, with thousands of schools upgraded.
Diop credited the success to the critical support of traditional and community leaders whose advocacy ensured that these initiatives were impactful.
The Emir of Argungu, Samaila Mera, while speaking on issues militating against girl-child education in Northern Nigeria, said socio-cultural norms, economic barriers and insecurity are major hindrances.
Mera added that infrastructure deficit and governmental funding gaps also inhibited the progress of girl-child education.
He, therefore, called for advocacy drive to promote the values of girl-child education through community sensitisation programmes. NAN
