Writing by Ibrahim Yahaya Rigachikum; Editing by Abubakar Hamza.
Adolescent girls’ education continues to face numerous challenges, including early marriage, which often disrupts or completely terminates the education of many girls and is widely regarded as a barrier to their personal and social development.
Research findings indicate that at least 75 percent of girls from rural communities in the northern part of the country have never attended formal school, while only 4 percent complete secondary education.
Several factors have been identified as contributors to this challenge, including poverty, cultural practices, and the lack of adequate educational facilities.
Despite these difficulties, many communities have shown resilience by taking active steps to rebuild their lives and improve access to education.
One such community is Bugau Village in Kubau Local Government Area, where some married adolescent girls established a learning center to continue the education that was interrupted after marriage.
Hadiza Danjuma, 17, who was married off at the age of 14, explained that she had progressed to JSS 3 before her parents could no longer afford to support her education and instead decided to marry her off due to financial hardship.
“I was enjoying my studies and had great hopes for the future, but my schooling was interrupted because my parents could not afford the expenses,” she lamented.
However, this did not diminish her determination to continue learning. Hadiza, alongside other like-minded girls, has continued to advocate for girls’ education within the community with the support of a community member, Saifullahi Auwalu, an N.C.E holder who volunteers as their teacher.
Auwalu said he took it upon himself to support female members of the community who are striving to fight illiteracy and improve their lives. According to him, the classes began with only three students, but enrollment has now increased to more than 30 within less than three months.
“Many of them had already lost hope of receiving a formal education, but thank God, each of them can now read and write to the best of their ability,” he said.
The volunteer teacher also highlighted several challenges affecting the initiative, including the lack of permanent and adequate classrooms, insufficient teaching and learning materials, and inadequate toilet facilities.
He therefore called on relevant authorities and organizations to provide support and intervention.
Among those who embraced the initiative are young women who had never attended school before but now see an opportunity to at least learn how to read and write.
Asiya Muhammad, 28, a mother of six, revealed that during her adolescent years she chose hawking over attending school, a decision she now regrets. She said she is determined to ensure that her children do not follow the same path.
She also expressed happiness at being among those currently pursuing education and noted that she can now read and write a few words.
“We’ve come of age, but our goal now is to keep pace with modern developments, whether by learning how to use mobile phones for social interaction or by improving our small businesses,” she explained.
Speaking on the development, the village head of Bugau, Ibrahim Adamu Bugau, expressed joy over the initiative and pledged his continued support for the program, which aims to provide married adolescent girls who are out of school with quality education that will empower them to become valuable members of both the community and the nation.
“The initiative initially conducted its classes in my residence. As participation increased over time, the need arose to move the sessions to a more suitable learning environment,” he explained.
The initiative in Bugau Village highlights the determination of girls and women to pursue education despite challenges such as poverty and early marriage while urging greater support from authorities and development partners,as the program could help reduce illiteracy and empower more women to contribute meaningfully to society.
