UNICEF, HILWA pushes for improvement in girl education

A United Nations Children Fund-sponsored advocacy group, High Level Women Advocates, has (in a bid to promote girl education) initiated moves at the Katsina State House of Assembly to enact a law making it an offence for parents who fail to send their female children to school.

UNICEF, HILWA pushes for improvement in girl educationHILWA chairperson in Katsina State, Mariam Abdullahi, said this on Wednesday evening at a press briefing on activities marking the 2016 edition of the International Day of the Girl-Child.

In the same vein, UNICEF, in conjunction with Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board, is to sponsor the education of 106 girls who will in turn be employed as primary school teachers in the state.

Abdullahi identified abject poverty, insecurity, and inadequate female teachers as some of the barriers to poor enrolment of female children in school.

She observed that despite the free education policy of the Katsina State government, “many parents cannot afford to send their children to school due to some other cost implications which include uniforms and books.”

She added, “Last year, we sent a proposal to the Katsina State House of Assembly to enact legislation so that parents who fail to send their female children to school can be punished, but they have refused to do anything.

“We have the intention of returning there this year to present our demand afresh.

“Ninety-nine per cent of Katsina indigenes are Muslims and our men do not like male doctors to attend to their wives; but how do you get female doctors and nurses if you do not send your female children to school?

“We also do not have adequate number of female teachers; and that is why we send male teachers to female schools and sometimes these male teachers sexually abuse the female students.”

Meanwhile, the UNICEF Desk Officer at Katsina SUBEB, Zainab Kaita, has said that that SUBEB will employ 106 girls as primary school teachers under the Girls Education Programme.

She explained that under the arrangement, UNICEF will provide scholarship for the girls up to National Certificate of Education, after which SUBEB will employ them as primary school teachers.

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