According to result of the poll conducted by U-Report Nigeria on the 9th of March, 2018 - What is the biggest challenges for women and girls where you live? Lack of access to quality education ranked highest amongst other common challenges faced by women and girls such as lack of access to modern technology, not being able to control their money, climate change, right to own a property or land, unsafe spaces and violence and getting information on health.
34% of U-reporters polled identified with lack of access to quality education as a major challenge to the Nigerian women and girls. Indeed it is evident that the biggest challenge for women and girls in our communities is education. Why educate the girl child? Why must we see the alarming rate of illiteracy among Nigeria women and girls as a national threat?
Communities prosper when women and girls are educated. Nigeria will benefit largely from a more educated women workforce, and increasing women’s active participation in the formal economy through education will eventually bring about robust economic growth of the country. Not only is educating women and girls imperative to attain greater levels of growth and development. It is a fundamental human right. Interest groups and agencies should endeavour to liaise with community heads to make quality education accessible. There should be more enhanced and inclusive community development projects that should focus on social mobilization efforts to support adult literacy and technical skills to empower parents and guardians sponsor their girl child. In order to achieve all these, every Nigerian citizen have a role to play in creating a safe, healthy and conducive learning environment for our women and girls. We must see education as a priority, identify with this priority, discard social barriers and root causes that breach access to quality education for women and girls in Nigeria.
