Experts Want Government To Prioritize Girls’ Education and Economic Empowerment

Panelists at the media parley to commemorate the international day of the girl child has supported the call for the girl-child education as well as economic empowerment, security and healthcare.

The call was made during the celebration of the international day of the girl-child organised by plan international where participants made their various submissions on the theme: “Equal power in leadership, decision making and political participation for girls.”

They stressed the need to support the girl-child in all ramifications, stressing that urgent steps needs to be taken by government and stakeholders to address all issues affecting the girl-child, especially in the area of education.

This, according to them, was the only way to enable them play their role in nation-building.

Convener of the program and project coordinator KCC Plan International, Mr Afolabi Ahmed stated that education is a vital tool for empowerment, adding that it allows for meaningful contributions in the society.

“Girl child education is essential for the achievement of quality learning. The girl child consistently faces exclusion from the inequalities within the educational system over the course of her life.”

Afolabi said the education of young girls is both an intrinsic right and and a critical means for reaching other developmental goals.

He said the aim of the media parley was to identify issues and challenges in the process of girl child rights especially in the aspect of menstrual hygiene management, adding that engaging key stakeholders will bring about effective strategies to curb situations that threatens the well being and ultimate success of the girls.

Asma’u Yahaya of the Association of Persons Living with Disabilities Bauchi, suggested that the laws protecting the girl-child should be reviewed and updated, and the girl be enlightened to enable her speak up on her rights.

“There is a law protecting the girl-child as well as person with disability, and I suggest that this laws should be reviewed as well create more awareness on it, so that who ever approaches you with anything against the law, you will protect yourself”.

In her submission, Zuwaira Baba, Gender Desk Officer Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, advice parents to stop giving priorities to their male children as against their female counterparts.

” Ensuring gender equality requires adapting equally to the needs and interests of girls. And this should starts from the family to know that human rights laws are also girl-child rights. Parents should learn to support their children especially the girls to have equal rights in education with their boys counterparts”.

Our correspondent Zainab Muhammad Sabitu reports that the parley also seeks government’s commitment towards the eradication of threats to the educational development of every girl child, and identifies barriers and bottlenecks in the process of adolescent girl child education.