65.5 per cent of girls in the North-east region of Nigeria lack access to basic education

A non-governmental organisation (NGO) known as the Nigeria Northern Education Initiative (NEI) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has disclosed that about 65.5 per cent of girls in the North-east region of Nigeria lack access to basic education.

This was disclosed by an education expert, Hajiya Bintu Abba Ibrahim, during a public presentation of gender assessment findings on basic education and living conditions of orphans and vulnerable children organised by Bauchi State Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development in collaboration with NEI in Bauchi yesterday.

Ibrahim explained that the percentage of boys in primary school in the region was 49 per cent while that of the girls was 37.1.

The  education expert, who disclosed that Nigeria had 17.5 million orphan and vulnerable children, advocated for their basic rights such as access to education, fundamental human rights for boys and girls and improved standard of living.

According to her, “the need for the education of the girl child, especially in the North-east region where the literacy level is very low cannot be overemphasied. From baseline assessment studies, gender enrollment in non-project local governments is 68.87 per cent while in project local governments, the percentage is 65.65, just as Islamiya schools had more females than male enrolled. ”

Ibrahim attributed religion and gender sentiments as factors militating against girl-child education and called on stakeholders to support education of less privileged children in the communities, especially girls.

Also speaking, the state Head of Service (HoS), Mr. Abdon Gin, stressed that education was fundamental to the human existence, saying education was next to air and water in terms of need and demands.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of General Service, Alhaji Ahmed Jarmajo, the HoS said building structures without educating the people would lead to underdevelopment.

In his remarks, the Emir of Dass, Usman Bilyaminu Othman, advocated for the education of the girl child in order to represent a balance in gender equality in sensitive professions such as doctors and nurses.

He condemned street hawking among the girl child, pointing out that it exposed them to rape, kidnapping and other social vices.

Culled from www.thisdaylive.com