A team of officials from Partnership to Engage Reform and learn (PERL),under its girls education partnership (GEP), organized a town hall meeting in Rogo,Kunchi and Warawa local government areas, to identify barriers to girl child education.
In her opening remarks, the vice chairman of Girls Education partnership (GEP) , Dr Hadiza Gadanya explained that the committee was established by Kano state commissioner for education.
She maintained that, the coalition consists of citizens groups, media and the government,to identity major set backs to girls education and proffer lasting solutions.
According to her, preparations were in top gear to submit the proposed girls education policy to the state government for proper action.
“GEP was established by Kano state commissioner for education with over 40 members from citizens group,media and government officials”
In their separate remarks, the Ward head of Rogo Alhaji Garba and education secretaries of Warawa and Kunchi local government areas, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed and Alhaji Bashir Rabi’u, identified socio cultural,economic and poor infrastructure as major hindrance to girl child education.
They explained that, some parents do not send their female children to school due to,gender inequality, street hawking,illeteracy, child labour, early marriage, unemployment negligence of family responsibilities by heads of families among others.
In each local government area visited by the team,residents decry lack of potable drinking water as a major catalyst to the under development of girls education as most students missed school as they have to trek for 10 kilometers to fetch water.
Other challenges identified include, poverty, lack of female teachers, lack of toilets, gender bias, child labour,seasonal migration and lack of girls boarding schools and higher institutions of learning within the three local government areas.
They appealed to government and relevant stakeholders to come to their aid and make adequate provisions for girls education by scraping qualifying exams, provision of infrastructure and learning materials,adequate enlightenment on the importance of education to the life of women.
“Lack of potable drinking water, insecurity, distance, stigmatization, poverty,drop outs, negligence to people with special needs”
In their separate remarks, Safiyanu Lawal Bichi, Dr. Kabiru Kura and Nafisa Murtala Ahmed, charged parents, guardians and stakeholders to contribute their quota to the development of girls education.
The town hall meeting witnessed large turn out of traditional and religious leaders, government officials, teachers, parents, civil society organizations and all relevant stakeholders in the educational sector.
KHADIJAH ALIYU
