Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, Sultan of Sokoto, has pledged the commitment of traditional and religious leaders to the implementation of policies that would address girl-child education barriers across the country.
The Sultan made the pledge in Abuja on Tuesday, at a National Conference of Traditional and Religious Leaders on Girls Education and Empowerment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the conference had as its theme ”Effective Partnerships on Girls Education, Out-of School Children Education for National Development.
NAN also reports that the event is organised by the 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 education of our girls again. What we must do is to implement all what we’ve discussed.
“Implementation is what we need to do. And that’s why we have these leaders here to take home what we all are going to agree to do.
“We are very committed because it’s a guarantee that we are 100 per cent ready to implement whatever we have come up with, with support of our National Assembly.”
He added that also going forward; no one must stop any girl-child from working in enhancing public opinions, public development, welfare and stability of the nation.
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 was 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 advancing the education of the girl-child in the country.
“For Nigeria to achieve its educational and development goals, we must move beyond policies and programmes. Continuous advocacy, sensitisation, and community engagement are essential.
“Parents, women, youth, and all segments of society must see the education of the girl-child as a shared responsibility and a moral imperative,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Ndiame Diop, Country Director, World Bank, emphasised the importance of girls’ education in Nigeria.
Diop, representwd by the World Bank Deputy Country Director, Taimur Samad, acknowledged the significant challenges of the girl-child which include high dropout rates, early marriages, and teenage pregnancies.
He commended the commitment of the federal government, state governors, and traditional leaders through AGILE programmes in reaching more than 25 million children, including 9 million adolescent girls, across 18 states.
Highlighting the progress of AGILE, he noted that more than 4 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, speaking on issues militating against girl-child education in northern Nigeria, said that socio-cultural norms, economic barriers and insecurity were major hinderances.
Mera added that infrastructure deficits, governmental funding gaps also inhibited the progress of the girl-child education.
He, therefore, called for advocacy drive to promote the values of the girl-child education through community sensitisation programmes.(NAN)
