Francis Sardauna
Apparently miffed by the spate of child-marraige in the country, the High-Level Women Advocate (HiLWA) has warned parents in Katsina State against withdrawing their female children from schools for marraige in order to tackle the predicament.
The state Chairperson of HiLWA, Mariatu Abdullahi, while briefing journalists as part of activities to mark the 2021 International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC), said girls who marry early face immediate and lifelong consequences that often truncate their education.
The IDGC celebration in Katsina was organised by HiLWA, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with funding support from Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
THISDAY reports that 30 schoolgirls were earlier selected from the Girls for Girls (G4G) focal schools in Ingawa, Kankia, Baure, Rimi and Katsina Local Government Areas of the state and trained in digital literacy and leadership. Five of the girls are representing the state in Abuja.
Abdullahi, during the media chat, said: “We don’t have problems with the enrolment of girl child, where we have problems is the transitional process of the girl child to junior and senior secondary schools. The girls usually disappear during the transition to the next level of education.
“The truth of the matter is that not one quarter of the girls get entry into the next transition of education, either they fail their examinations or their parents felt they are ripe enough for marriages. Parents should stop withdrawing their girls from school for marriage.”
She added that the international day of the girl-child was the right forum for awareness creation on the current economic, social and cultural challenges that young Nigerians, especially adolescent girls, face in the country.
Meanwhile, the 30 trained schoolgirls Monday, took over the leadership of the state House of Assembly, SUBEB and state Ministry of Education for about 30 minutes to practise the leadership skills they acquired during the seven-day training.
At the Assembly, the young girls sponsored a bill for 35 per cent appointments for women in the education sector to curb issues afflicting girl-child in schools across the state.
They explained that if women are given more appointments in the education sector, additional girls would be enrolled, stay, complete and transit to senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions in the state.
