Bilkisu Aminu was just 16 when she was married off by her parents. Coming from a less privileged background in Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna, young Bilkisu had keen interest in learning. She wanted to become a medical doctor....Read Full Article >>➤
“When a well-to-do suitor came to my house seeking my hand in marriage, I told him I would continue my education after marriage because I was in JSS 1 when he proposed.
“But he refused, he said he didn’t want me to go to school after marriage and my dad didn’t give me the support I needed; so I kept begging even after marriage. “I kept my uniform in a safe place because I love school and would want to return.
Aminu is now 21 and divorced with a child. Her interest in learning is reignited.
She wants to go back to school but does not know where to start. According to a report by Save the Children78 per cent of girls in the northern region of Nigeria are married before the age of 18, while 44 per cent of girls are married before their 18th birthday in the whole country.
The report titled “State of the Nigerian Girl Report – An Incisive Diagnosis of Child Marriage” shows that child marriage is more prevalent in the northwest and northeast of Nigeria.
The report also states that 48 per cent of girls were married by age 15 and 78 per cent were married by age 18.
A survey by the Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics in 2020 shows that 31.1 per cent of children within the primary school age were out of school.
It also showed that 31.9 per cent of children within the junior secondary school age were out of school in the state.
Kaduna State’s Second Chance Policy
The Kaduna State School Census Report 2020 revealed that 25 per cent of adolescent girls dropped out of school. This is due to factors like early marriage, insecurity and poverty, among others.
With this development, the Kaduna state government developed an Education Policy in 2019 which made provision for Second Chance Education (SCE)
The state also developed a 10-year Education Sector Plan (ESP) named Kaduna State 2019 – 2029 Education Sector Strategic Plan.
The plan is a comprehensive and strategic framework developed with the support of development partners to guide planning, implementation and evaluation of education policies and programmes.
UNICEF says to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4, which is inclusive and equitable quality education for all, a Gender-Responsive Education Sector Planning (GRESP) is essential.
The Director of Planning, Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Salisu Lawal, stated that SCE is being implemented with support from development partners for girls who dropped out because they got married.
He said the programme had so far reached 14 communities in 10 Local Government Areas across the state with about 700 drop-out married adolescent girls benefitting since inception in 2018.
Aisha Muhammad, Deputy Director, Female Education stated that the department creates awareness in communities and engages traditional and religious leaders on the need for drop-out married girls to go to school.
“Those leaders now announce in churches and mosques urging girls interested in going back to school to join the programme.
“We also engage husbands and show them the importance of education to their wives and family at large.
“Some will agree while others will not and some of the adolescent girls who dropped out to get married may later get divorced.
“Others may lose their husbands and come back to school while some who dropped out of school due to medical challenges would want to go back to school.
She said that the ministry is planning to scale up the programme to other local government areas.
Beneficiaries’ Plea
Rabi’at Aliyu, an enrollee in SCE, called on the government to adjust the school time for married women, saying most married women find it hard to be in school in the morning.
Aliyu, who married at the age of 15, could not complete her secondary education as she dropped out of school after JSS 3.
After having her first child, Aliyu decided to go back to school but her husband would not allow her.
She eventually got divorced and remarried. The new husband is supportive; he allowed her to go back to school.
Aged 21, Aliyu enrolled in Government Secondary School, Rigasa and is now in SS 2.
“My challenge started when I got pregnant; I had to go on a break because it wasn’t easy and the school authorities understood.
“Whenever there is a need for me to go back home during school hours, the school authorities allow me because they are aware I’m married.
“I want to become a journalist that is why I’m not giving up,” she said.
Another beneficiary attending Government Secondary School (GSS), Rido in Chikun LGA, Nafisa Aminu, who is a nursing mother, urged the government to include virtual learning in the SCE programme
“We go to school late due to house chores and children; my attention is usually divided since we are not allowed to bring babies to the class.
“If we can get a crèche where we can keep our children till lessons are over, it will help us a lot; we can learn online or on radio just like the way it happened during COVID-19,” she said.
Experts advocate programme flexibility, awareness
In spite of efforts by the state government to sustain the SCE policy, some experts are of the view that more needs to be done for effective implementation.
Barr. Jennifer Abaji , Founder, Basileia Vulnerable Persons Rights Initiative (BVPRI), stated that one of the things stopping married adolescent girls from joining the second chance education programme is insufficient flexibility.
“We are advocating for the Kaduna state government to leverage ICT to make this second chance education programme more flexible.
“That means instead of the girl getting worried about always getting to school, the school can get to the married adolescents through remote learning.
“Our organisation has successfully convinced the government to allow out-of-school married adolescents to be able to learn from home leveraging ICT.
“We are glad that the government has bought into it and they are excited to review the second chance programme and they promised to invite us to the review of the entire policy,” he said.
According to Abaji, the second chance programme has not been fully utilised saying it would have reached more people if it was flexible.
She recommended that skills acquisition should be added to the programme so that married girls can be able to solve some small financial issues and take care of themselves properly.
Abaji called on the government to ensure that these out-of-school married adolescents are able to have access to the technological tools needed to learn remotely.
As some experts advocate the flexibility of the programme by leveraging ICT, others are calling for intensified awareness campaigns on the programme.
Mrs Margaret John, the principal of Babban Sauran Junior Secondary School stated that most of the girls who are interested in going back to school are not well informed about the programme.
“The government needs to step up in advertisement in jingles both on television and radio.
“It should also use government schools to invite communities around and inform them on the need to bring out these interested girls.
“Most of the problem now is that they are not even aware of the opportunities and if they do, the response would be very interesting,” she said.
Stakeholders however agree that the SCE policy of Kaduna State represents a transformative initiative to address the educational challenges faced by adolescent girls, particularly those impacted by early marriage and other socio-economic barriers.
While significant progress has been made in providing opportunities for school dropouts to return to learning, much remains to be done to enhance its impact.
Flexibility in the programme, including virtual learning options and provision of childcare facilities, as well as the integration of skills acquisition, can help address the unique needs of married girls and young mothers.
Moreover, intensified awareness campaigns are crucial to ensuring that more girls and their families are informed about the programme’s existence and benefits.
As the Kaduna State government works to scale up the initiative, collaboration with stakeholders and leveraging technology will be key to ensuring that no girl is left behind in the pursuit of education.
By empowering these young women, the state not only transforms their lives but also strengthens the foundation for a more inclusive and prosperous society.
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