Girl child education in Northern Nigeria
No doubt most of the girls in the North are lazy. The society made them as such. You could hardly find any girl from the north studying a professional course such as Medicine, Pharmacy and Engineering or Agriculture among others. Most of the girls in the north take education lightly. I did my first degree […]
No doubt most of the girls in the North are lazy. The society made them as such. You could hardly find any girl from the north studying a professional course such as Medicine, Pharmacy and Engineering or Agriculture among others. Most of the girls in the north take education lightly. I did my first degree in Nigeria and most of girls, especially from the north, in the University were lazy at their studies. It is not because they are not intelligent but because they spend most of their time on chatting with friends, and especially those boys who have no ambition.
By the time I travelled to India for an MSc degree, I realised that girls are brilliant! In my class, there were three girls who were ahead of all the 24 class members, and one of them became the overall best in the whole faculty. Today, these girls have PhD degrees, and are currently residing in the United States of America for a postdoctoral training. So, our society must wake up from slumber. Some of these girls in our society are very bright. They only need support from society to make a difference. The society should encourage girls to get to where they want in life.
I think it is the duty of every parent to ensure that their children, including girls, get the necessary level of education to become independent. I encourage the girls to at least get a minimum of first degree before thinking about marriage. Those who are already married can still go back to continue from where they stopped. It is better to be late than never! Men should support their women to go back to colleges, polytechnics or universities to acquire knowledge and get additional certificates and skills. But it must also be stated that in this 21st century era, skill is the most important thing, not just having the certificates. Many have had their degrees but are jobless, consequent upon lack of skills. Women are the bedrock of every society and, therefore, must be educated to provide the first hand knowledge, and guidance to our children. If your wife is educated you have a peaceful home.
Dr Tijjani Salihu Shinkafi, Department of Biochemistry, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. [email protected]