Bu Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Kano based businesswoman and public affairs commentator, Hajia Asabe Gamawa has lent her voice on the importance of girl child education, stressing that it is a springboard to productivity, development and nation building.

She added that the story of successful Nigerian women who have had positive impacts on the country and on the global stage should be used as inspiration. The likes of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an award-winning author and feminist icon; Hauwa Ojeifo, a mental health advocate and founder of the ‘She Writes Woman Organization’, and Amina Mohammed, a United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, to mention just a few, could be used as pointers.

The famous Kano philanthropist made the remarks during her chat with some newsmen (including veracitydesk.com.ng) Thursday afternoon via zoom, stating that girl child education was sacrosanct.

Asabe maintained that the best way to educate the larger society for an all- round development is by educating the girl child, noting that the female child is like the anchor to societal advancement and economic prosperity.

“Education is the first priority for every human being irrespective of the gender. That’s how it’s all over the world and even in the Holy Qur’an. Everybody who wants to be wealthy become a leader, you must become educated. The reality is that girl child is like the anchor to societal advancement and economic prosperity,” she said.

Hajia Gamawa continues,

“Girl-child education refers to girls’ access to and participation in education. It is an important issue because, in many parts of the world, girls are less likely to attend school and complete their education compared to their male counterparts.

“Current statistics reveals that a total female population worldwide is estimated at 49.6%, or about 3.52 billion. Approximately 22% of the world’s population are children below the age of 18. If one defines “girl” as a female child, it means that about 11% of the world’s population are female children.

“According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, Nigeria now has 20.2 million out-of-school children, over 60% of whom are girls. On the other hand, there are five million more girls completing each level of education, from primary to secondary. This progress calls for efforts to double down in the remaining years to 2030, as there are 122 million girls still out of school around the world today.

“There are various reasons why Nigeria records a high number of out-of-school girls. This include but is not limited to, a lack of financial support; a situation where many families cannot afford to send their daughters to school, especially when they have multiple children to support.

“Cultural norms can also play a role, with some communities not valuing girls’ education. For such group of people, a girl child’s education ends in the kitchen. Consequently, the provision of scholarships or financial assistance by the government, individuals or organizations for families who cannot afford to send their daughters to school would help to remove some of the financial barriers that prevent girls from getting an education.

“There is also the need to continuously engage traditional rulers to support the education of the girl child in their domains. Governments, on their part, should make efforts to build schools and offer free education, especially in rural areas to attract girl child into formal education and secure vibrant and sustainable future for them”