We must break gender barriers to give girls quality education – Shettima

EDITED

Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged stakeholders across various sectors to rise above primordial sentiments and ensure that the girl child receives quality education.

He lamented that for too long, gender-based barriers have denied the girl child access to quality education, emphasizing that educating them must now be a great priority.

According to Shettima, the task revolves around government at all levels, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organizations (CSOs), and partners in the donor community.

“We must come together with a singular focus: ensuring that every Nigerian child, regardless of gender or geography, receives quality education,” Shettima stressed on Thursday when he declared open the International Conference on Girl Child Education in Nigeria, held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, the dignity of the girl child defines every civilization.

Represented at the event by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, the VP stated: “Whatever reforms we adopt to build a safe space for educating the girl child must be championed from within our communities.

“Policy-making involves all of us, and we must engage local leaders, traditional rulers, and religious figures to understand the implications of failing to educate the future of this nation.

“The most powerful tool we can offer the girl child is education. We must enhance educational programs that inform girls and women about their rights and the risks they face if denied the opportunity to make informed choices, especially in matters of health.”

Shettima also implored the government’s partners in the donor community, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and other multilateral institutions, to make a generational difference.

“The dignity of the girl child defines every civilization, and today, we are bound by a duty higher than merely observing the challenges before us. We bear the responsibility of setting the tone for this nation, and there is no greater calling than to prioritize the education of the girl child and other at-risk children. This is a mirror from which we cannot afford to look away because the consequences are dire,” he said.

Outlining statistics on out-of-school children in Nigeria, including the latest Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), the VP warned that “each child abandoned to the streets is a liability that the nation will one day pay for.

“We must remember that the child who remains out of school today will be a threat to their peers in the classroom tomorrow. We cannot afford to turn away from this reality, and the need for creative and innovative solutions is now more pressing than ever,” he added.

Senator Shettima acknowledged, however, that while the issue of girl-child education affects every nation, her vulnerability in this part of the globe is especially pronounced.