Category: Education

Education can wait when it comes to marriage for young girls in Adamawa State. ONIMISI ALAO reports how early marriage is affecting the education of young girls in the state and what one organisation is doing about it.

A teenage girl in Adamawa State who was urged to continue schooling rather than drop out for marriage, responded:  “Me?  Remain in school? It’s time to marry. I don’t want to become an old spinster.”

When relations of the SSS 3 pupil got to know about the pressure on her to complete her education first, they told the person mounting the pressure to keep off.

Amina Saidu, facilitator of Safe Space, a vocational facility in Manjekin, Maiha Local Government Area, where out-of-school girls learn skills for personal development ahead of their return to school, was the one mounting the pressure.

Amina, who is in her 20s and unmarried, shared the story with The Nation, to show the problem she is facing campaigning for girls’ enrolment and retention in school.

“The girl told me point blank that I have finished school and even working, yet I am not married. In fact, she asked me if I thought I could now ever marry.  She said she did not wish to end up like me,” Amina recalled.

Sadly, after marriage, the girls do not return to school. Amina said the mind set was retarding female education in Adamawa.

“People have little thought of returning to school after marriage because here the culture is to drop off school once you marry.

“Education is secondary to marriage among my people. Once you get to the age of marriage, you marry, irrespective of whether you are in school or not,” she said.

In most cases in this part of the world where age of marriage falls within a girl’s teenage years, it is even parents who arrange husbands for their daughters without their consent.

At a recent event, the point was stressed that parents were more interested in the monetary value they could get from a girl through her marriage or hawking goods than the potential benefits of investing in her education now.

Thanks to interventions, however, a few exceptions are emerging from what has long been the norm.

One Rashida Amodu has the record of being the only girl in Maiha LGA who got married and remained in secondary school.

Amina said she advised Rashida not to marry but she did.  However, she continued her education.

“The good side is that although Rashida got married, she remained in school and is writing her final year examination,” Amina said.

Amina runs vocational skills facility, a safe centre, in Maiha where mostly out-of- school girls receive training on craft skills, entrepreneurship and personal development.The centre was established by an NGO, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), with support from Malala Fund.

Rashida’s decision to return to school was influenced by the Centre LSD’s Safe Centre which not only taught her how to make cake, soap and the like for self-employment but also impressed on her the need for her to at least complete her secondary education.

Centre LSD had been in Maiha last week in continuation of project tour and town hall meetings held in the focal LGAs of Numan (representative of Adamawa Southern Zone), Song (Central Zone) and Maiha (Northern Zone) where the organisation has concentrated its girls’education campaign in the state in the last two years.

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At the town hall meeting attended by Maiha community leaders and education stakeholders, a number of problems affecting female education, apart from early marriage, were identified and solutions proffered.

The problems include poverty, insecurity, distance from home to school, and preference for boy rather than girl-child education.

It was also mentioned that many girls want to be taught by female teachers and could leave school where sufficient female teachers do not exist.

One of the stakeholders also articulated the point that in many households in Adamawa, education is still regarded as haram, in line with the viewpoint that terror group Boko Haram has projected so ruthlessly in the many years that it has troubled the Northeast.

At the meeting, officials of Centre LSD stressed the imperative for girls to go to school and complete their education so they can have opportunity to be greater citizens as they grow.

At the town hall meeting, Dr Jude Amodu, who represented Centre LSD executive Director, announced that of 960 out-of-school girls that the organisation had been able to draw back to school in the last two years, 310 were from Maiha, and the drive is to get more girls back in school by the end of the project early next year, hence the need for the meeting.

At the facility visit to the Safe Centres in Maiha, Amodu told the girls to aim to be like the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Aisha Mohammed, and other leading women like Senators Aisha Binani, Binta Garba, and Grace Bent – Adamawa women-  whose education has taken them to great heights.

“I am a professor, yet I say ‘Yes Ma to a fellow professor, who is a woman because she is vice chancellor,” Jude told the girls, referring to Prof Kaletapwa Farauta, the Vice Chancellor of Adamawa State University, Mubi.

“If you remain on the path of education, in the next 10 years, I see you becoming pilots, engineers, bankers and top politicians and business women,” Jude told the girls.

Some of the girls told The Nation they were glad that the centre helped them to get an education.

Twelve-year old Fatima Hamman,  was stuck at home because her father would not send any of his daughters beyond primary school,  She said her long-held wish became reality when the Safe Space concept was introduced two years ago.

“I always wanted to go to school but my father would not hear of it. His mind was set on me growing up and getting married. He didn’t believe education for any girl had value for the parents.

“The Malala-funded girls education campaign programme was introduced and with the persuasive efforts of the officials, my father agreed that I could go to school. Now,  I am in JSS 2.”

On her part, Rosanne Garba said the pro-educarion campaign revived her hope in life after she got pregnant while in SS 2.

“After I got pregnant and after given birth, I remained at home because nobody wanted to hear of me returning to school. But the Safe Space people welcomed me with open arms and gave me a second chance. I have had opportunity to learn soap making and cake baking which I use to support myself.  More than that,  I have gone back to school and I am in SS 3,” she said.

Chairman, Booard of Trustees (BoT), Pacific College Shasha, Akowonjo, Lagos State, Mr. Idowu Remigious Omosowon, has identified secondary school years as the most important foundational stage in the preparation for a professional life.

He made this observation at the school’s Valedictory Service for 2020/2021 graduatiing class with the theme “Navigating the future with confidence” . He, however, sees graduation from the secondary school as the beginning of a stage that defines what one becomes.

The over 20-year-old school produced about 42 graduates this year.

Omosowon, said:  “No doubt, your education in this college has equipped you for success, the tools with which to take on the world. To wish your success, therefore, is to miss the point, because success is not an event, it is a journey. To succeed in the journey of life is to be able to use those tools effectively.”

The set’s Head Boy, Olalekan Adiro, said: “I must admit that this speech  is out of context without bringing into play the role both the teaching and non-teaching staff have played in building the people we are today. I must admit your teachings, guidance and reprimands are probably the only reason we are proud of who we are today.”

The Principal, Mrs. Chioma Adeline Ogunsola, said: “We are gathered here to acknowledge and celebrate the Class of 2021. Six years ago, we welcomed many of you into Pacific College, and over the time, we gave all within our ability and capacity in good conscience to teach you new and exciting things, we chased you for your homework, nagged about your appearance, nurtured you, cared for you, and encouraged you. Part of the dividend of those steadfast efforts is what we are witnessing.”

Bariga Local Council Development Area hosted her 2021 Annual Spelling Bee Preliminaries competition last Wednesday.

The event held at the Council main hall had over 30 primary and secondary school pupils competing.

The contest was tough and the participants gave a good account of themselves in all five rounds.

Nnam Henry of Alubarika Primary School was declared winner of the primary category, while Awosanmi Semilore of Baptist Girls Primary School and Nnamdi Precious of Ayetoro Primary School emerged as first and second runners-up.

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Abigail Owoola of Eva Adelaja Secondary School was crowned champion of the secondary category; while Adenuga Moses of St. Lukes Secondary School and Taiwo Eniola of Baptist Secondary School followed in the first and second positions.

The winners will advance to compete for the ‘One Day Governor’ at the State Spelling Competition.

Mrs Adenike Owolabi, Head of Administration, Bariga LCDA congratulated all the winners and encouraged them to continue to strive harder. She also stated that the chairman is ready to improve education from grassroot to the highest level.

Other guests at the event were the leader of the House, Temitope Okanlawon, Councillors, the Head of Administration, Mrs. Owolabi Adenike and the management staff.

An interactive session organised by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for female pupils of a Lagos school, on Monday had an interesting twist when male pupils trooped out to celebrate the girls.

The programme was organised by Family and Youth Support Initiative (FYSI) for female pupils of Idimu Junior High School, Idimu, in Idimu-Egbe Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, to mark the International Day of the Girl-Child.

Some of the boys came out with placards celebrating the girls and also took turns to speak about the unique qualities of the girl-child and why she should be treated specially.

They later sang a popular song by a female gospel artiste, Sola Allyson, which showcased womenfolk as uniquely and perfectly created by God, and danced to the admiration of the students and the teachers.

The session, which held at the school assembly ground, was facilitated by the Executive Director of FYSI, Mrs. Bukoladeremi Ladigbolu.

In line with the theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl — “Digital generation, Our generation”, the programme focused on the “mindful, beneficial and deliberate use of digital technologies”, especially social media.

Some of the topics Ladigbolu spoke on included how female pupils can use social media mindfully rather than addictively; dealing with online abuse, using the digital media to enhance performance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Exercise books and pens were distributed to the nearly 500 pupils who took part in the event graced by the Principal, Mr. Rahman Adeniran; Vice Principal, Mrs. Bosede Adediran; and counsellor, Mrs. Kikelomo Sanni, among others.

At the Government Senior College, Agege, another NGO, the Seedtime Foundation, showcased the digital skills of 10 girls who had undergone mentoring.

Its Executive Director, Mrs. Adetola Oladeji said the girls were the inaugural set of the Foundation’s Blossom Initiative launched in June, this year.

She said the 14-16 years girls from less privileged backgrounds underwent intensive training for three weeks in August, which they shared to 200 participants from the Government Senior College, Agege.

“Basically, what we are doing today is as a charity is to celebrate the girl-child.  So we invited about 200 girls to this event. We talked to them about technology because the theme for this year is ‘Digital Generation, Our Generation’.  It was an opportunity to reach out to empower the girls in the area of technology,” she said.

Speaking on the theme, the guest speaker Mrs. Dele Tejuoso, said girls should be in the front role of technology to be drivers of innovation and become executive officers of companies.

“When more Women work, the economy grows,” she said.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Abosede Adelaja, said there was need for the proper upbringing of the girl-child to boost national development.

Adelaja, represented by Mrs. Olapeju Elias, said: “When you educate the girl-child, you have educated the whole nation.”

She advised the girls to seize the opportunity provided by Seedtime Foundation to make the best use of the skills they acquired during the programme.

“Put the skills you have acquired into practice. You have been provided with the tools for you to become great in future. Please grab it and make proper use of it. Let those skills you acquired change your attitude for the better,” he said.

UNICEF launches advocacy to close gender digital gap divide

For the next one year,the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) will call attention to closing the gender gap in digital access.

The U.N. agency launched the advocacy on Monday in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl-Child, which has as theme: “Digital Generation, our Generation”.

The agency noted in its concept note for the celebration that the year-long campaign would enlighten the world about the “power and diversity of adolescent girls as digital change-makers and designers of learning and other solutions addressing the challenges and opportunities they face in their digital worlds.”

UNICEF would also be seeking increasing the investments of stakeholders pledged at the Gender Equality Forum to ensure girls get access to devices, connectivity and skills aimed at “intentionally closing the gender digital divide.”

In commemoration of the day, one organisation that has focused on ICT training for the girl-child for 18 years, the Women Technology Centre (W.TEC), has called on Nigerians to volunteer time, skills and donate towards enhancing STEM skills of girls.

Africa is to benefit from the successes of two scholars who won the 2021 Yidan Prize, a prestigious award in education.

The scholars, Prof. Eric Hanushek and Dr. Rukmini Banerji, have pioneered work that have enhanced the Sutainable Development Goal 4 – inclusive and equitable quality education for all – and improved educational policies and learning outcomes in some African countries and other places.

Each laureate will be awarded HK$30 million (approximately 3.9 million USD), half of which is a project fund – enabling a series of innovative and progressive education projects to scale up and support millions of learners globally.

Hanushek, a Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow and Professor at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, United States, was recognised for education research.

His work focuses on education outcomes and the importance of teaching quality and has transformed both research and policy internationally. His work helped shape the United Nations SDG 4 by reframing targets for learning outcomes and has shown that it is how much students learn – and not how many years they spend in school – that boosts economies.

“Like no one else, Eric has been able to link the fields of economics and education. From designing better and fairer systems for evaluating teacher performance to linking better learning outcomes to long-run economic and social progress, he has made an amazing range of education policy areas amenable to rigorous economic analysis,” said Mr Andreas Schleicher, head of the Yidan Prize for Education Research judging panel, and director for the OECD’s Directorate of Education and Skills.

With the Yidan Prize funding, Hanushek is planning a research fellow programme in Africa, supporting analytical capacity to shape education policies from a local perspective.

Dr. Banerji, Chief Executive Officer of the Pratham Education Foundation, India, was recognised for Education Development for her work in improving learning outcomes.

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The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) assessment approach, pioneered by Dr. Banerji and her team in India, revealed literacy and numeracy gaps among children who had already spent several years at school, with the model spreading to several African countries as early as 2005.

To close these gaps, her team’s “Teaching at the Right Level” (TaRL) program works with schools and local communities to provide basic reading and arithmetic skills, ensuring no children are left behind. This systematic, replicable model reaches millions of children annually in India and is spreading around the globe.

The approach is now being implemented in Nigeria and some other African countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Zambia, through partnerships and the TaRL Africa initiative. As a board member of the TaRL Africa initiative, Dr. Banerji is supporting the growth and development of impactful programmes on the continent.

The TaRL was used as an intervention in the EdoBEST basic education programme of Edo State.

“Dr Rukmini Banerji and the Pratham team have a clear mission: ‘Every child in school and learning well’ – a reminder that we need to focus on education quality and not just school enrolments. The solutions that they have deployed towards this goal have proven to be cost-effective and scalable with a demonstrated potential to impact globally-disruptive education innovation with transformative results”, said Dorothy K. Gordon, head of Yidan Prize for Education Development judging panel, and board member of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education.

Hanushek and Banerji will join nine laureates who have been awarded the Yidan Prize since its inception in 2016, established by the Yidan Prize Foundation – a global philanthropic education foundation that inspires progress and change in education.

Secondary school pupils and undergraduates who excelled in an essay competition organised to commemorate Nigeria’s 61st Independence Day last week got car, laptops, cash and other exciting gifts from the Osun State Government.

A total of 812 entries were received from secondary school pupils and undergraduates during the 62-day window opened for the easy contest initiated by the Governor Oyetola administration.

Seven hundred of those entries were from undergraduates from 34 institutions for the tertiary category. 23 Local Governments; while 112 were received from the secondary schools pupils from the 17 local government areas of the state.

The secondary school pupils wrote on the Topic ‘’Osun @ 30, using ‘SWOT’ approach (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat), while the undergraduates wrote on the “National Circumspect of challenging security situations ravaging the country.”

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Winner of the tertiary institution category, Adeyemo Victor Ayodeji of Bowen University, won Toyota Corolla car, N500,000 and gadgets for his efforts.  He was followed in second place by Ayoola Victor Oluwagbemiga of the University of Ibadan who won N350,000, laptop and gadgets; and Ademuyi Stella Jesuloluwa of Adeleke University, Ede in the third position with N150,000, tablet and others as gifts.

The secondary school category winners were: Faith Abisola Adegboyega of Fakunle Comprehensive High School, Olaniyi Inioluwa Opeyemi of Ambassadors College Ile-Ife, and Onwugbofor Happiness of Our Lady and St. Francis College. Faith got a scholarship up to tertiary level for winning the contest.

Speaking at the grand finale, Oyetola, who was represented by his deputy, Benedict Alabi, said: “This essay competition recommends itself highly as a platform for stimulating excellence among our students. It charges them not only to be imaginative as active producers of relevant ideas for nation-building but to also courageously ventilate such ideas unashamedly in the public space.”

The Rotary Club of Akowonjo Metropolitan District 9110 under the leadership of the Chartered President, Adeyemi Adeniyi organised a pep talk on security awareness for pupils of Millennium Senior Secondary School, Egbeda in commemoration of the Basic Education and Literacy Month of the Rotary International Calendar.

The club distributed writing materials (note books, biro, pencil, ruler, eraser) to pupils during the event.

The guest speaker, Mr. A. I. Adeyemi, from Education District 1, emphasised on the need for pupils to know the implications of being careless with most sensitive parts of their body.

He urged them to be disciplined to prevent them from rape or kidnapping, which is rampant in Nigeria.

Speaking on moral virtues and contentment, the Chartered President,  Adeyemi Adeniyi, appealed to the pupils to remember the homes they come from before engaging in vices.

He also admonished the pupils using the Rotary Four way test.

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“Is it the truth; is it fair to all concerned; will it build goodwill and better friendship; will it be beneficial to all concerned,” he said.

The Chartered President responded positively to their request for an Interact club in the school by mandating the Project Chair of the Club – Rotarian Folashade to take it up.

The pupils were given opportunity to ask questions.

The Vice Principal, Mr. Solanke A. A., on behalf of the Principal expressed gratitude to the Rotary Club of Akowonjo Metropolitan for considering the pupils of Millennium Senior Secondary School in her Basic education and literacy programme.

The President-elect of the club, Babatunde Alufoge, appreciated the management and District for allowing us to touch the life of their students