Culture impedes girl-child education in the North –Commissioner

As a woman from the North, how did you cope with attaining high level education?I was married off to my husband one month after I finished secondary school. I finished my secondary education in June and got married in July same year. However when the results came out and I performed well, my husband said […]

As a woman from the North, how did you cope with attaining high level education?
I was married off to my husband one month after I finished secondary school. I finished my secondary education in June and got married in July same year. However when the results came out and I performed well, my husband said he would not keep me at home rather he allowed me to continue with my studies. I was excited and that was how I found myself in College of Education where I obtained my NCE. On my graduation day, my husband was around and he was impressed with the five prizes I received. And because of my outstanding performance, I was also given an automatic job by the management of the college. That motivated him to say that I would have to further my education to university level and that was how I also found myself in the University of Maiduguri. Upon my graduation and completion of national service, NYSC, my husband again encouraged me to take up a lecturing job since I was trained as a professional teacher.
I applied for lecturing in the Department of General Studies at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) and fortunately for me, I was invited for interview and after the interview I was given appointment as a lecturer. Eventually, I went for my masters’ degree. After the creation of Gombe State, my husband who was from Gombe had to move there and as his wife I had to go with him. I worked as a lecturer at the Federal College of Education, Technical in Gombe for some time. We were there when my husband got a job in Abuja and we had to move, that was how I found myself in the Federal College of Education, Zuba, where I also worked as lecturer. I became the Head of English Department and later the Dean of my school and acting Deputy Provost of the College. Eventually, I was given an appointment in my state as Commissioner of Education.
Did you find it easy going to secondary school before getting married?
There was no much hitch going to primary school because my father was alive; I was 10 years old when he died. I grew up with my mother, grandmother and uncles.
My grandmother had to quarrel with my uncles to get me into secondary school. Some of them felt that if my father were to be alive, he wouldn’t allow me to go to secondary school. So my going to secondary school was an idea that they didn’t like but my grandmother took it upon herself to send me to secondary school. It wasn’t easy but my grandmother stood her ground and insisted that I should go to secondary school.
How do you think your life would have been had you been denied the opportunity to further your education beyond primary school?
I have cousins who were my childhood friends and I can tell you that whatever they need to keep their children in school or to take care of their responsibilities, they will come for advice, or help and what have you. I look at them most of the time and say I cannot thank God enough; maybe I would have been like them if I had not acquired the education I have now. So to me, if I had not gone to school, I would have been a dependent for almost everything in my life.
So what do you think are the impediments to girl-child education in the North?
Some of the impediments to girl child education in the North have to do with culture and not necessarily religion as many people think. When the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said we should search for knowledge even if it takes us to China, he never specified that it is a female or male child that should seek for knowledge. He made it open such that he gave equal opportunities to both girls and boys. It is the complexity of the society in which we find ourselves that is posing a challenge. For instance, if a woman aspires to become something in life or to contest for leadership position particularly now that we are in democratic dispensation, you will find her being given all sort of names and the society tends to look at politicking as a stage meant for men only.
It has to do with men’s domination of the society and so many cultural inhibitions that are standing as barriers or hindrance to women from the northern part of the country.
What call do you have for parents on girls’ education?
I want to call on parents to give equal opportunities to boys and girls particularly in the area of education because nobody knows the child that is more blessed than the other. The girl, child when educated has a lot of sympathy than the boys. The boy when educated will struggle to keep himself and his family while the girl will try to keep her family as well as take care of her parents. Therefore, I am appealing to parents, husbands and brothers to support the women. I had the opportunity to be educated because of the support I enjoyed from my parents and my husband.
How do you think policy makers can enforce that every girl-child is educated?
The big gap between the male and female child education must be bridged. Education is the right of every Nigerian child irrespective of whether the child is a boy or girl, a Christian or Muslim or any tribe. Every Nigerian child has a right to the opportunities of knowledge. To that effect, I can tell you what is happening in my state. The governor has introduced some measures including conditional cash transfer for parents where he assists parents with some token at the end of every month to enable them release their girls to go to school. He has also upgraded Tsangaya schools and integrated western education because of parents who believe that western education is worthless. With the integration now, the girls that have been enrolled into Tsangaya schools will also have the opportunity to acquire western education through the integrative approach. So other states too can emulate this because all hands must be on deck to ensure that every girl-child is educated.
Will you advocate punishment for parents who refuse to allow their children go to school?
In the national policy, there is a section that makes it compulsory for parents to send their children to school. So, if government feels that parents who refuse to send their wards to school, particularly the girls, should be punished it will help a lot.