By Funmilayo Adeyemi
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening support for girls’ education and empowerment in the country.
Ahmed spoke in Abuja on Thursday during a road walk for the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Employment (AGILE) programme.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inscription for the AGILE road walk is tagged Madubi, and the programme is designed to improve secondary education for girls in Nigeria.
Madubi is a Hausa word meaning “mirror” and it aims to increase public awareness and action on girls’ education.
The Minister stressed the importance of girls’ education in driving national development, noting that more support would be given to the initiative.
According to her, the road walk is for “the girl to see herself in us as a mirror for a better future.
“We support every programme that seeks to empower the girl-child.
“At the Federal Ministry of Education, we have our own programme that we are going to launch soon to ensure that we empower the girl-child.
“But AGILE is wonderful in terms of giving opportunity to the girl-child by providing access and opportunity for the girl-child to flourish in our society.
“We hope to see other programmes that will ensure every girl-child has the opportunity to reach her full potential,” she said.
Also speaking, the AGILE National Project Coordinator, Mrs Amina Haruna, said the initiative was established to ensure that no girl is left behind in education and to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
Haruna explained that educating girls leads to societal transformation, saying that the slogan Madubi symbolises the girl as a reflection of society.
Sharing the project’s success stories, Haruna said the initiative had been implemented in 18 states, resulting in the construction of classrooms, provision of WASH facilities, and distribution of learning materials to schools.
“We have renovated about 10,000 classrooms. We have built about 475 schools.
“Where there’s a primary school, we try to build a junior secondary school. Where there’s a junior secondary school, we build a senior secondary school.
“We are doing this to bring schools closer to the girls. We don’t want the girls to walk long distances before reaching school.
“And according to the education policy, no girl-child or any child should have to walk more than five kilometres to access school.
“So that transition from one level to the next will be easier for adolescent girls,” she said.
The national coordinator further stated that in 2025, plans were underway to accelerate progress by constructing more classrooms, expanding WASH facilities, and providing more scholarships to the poorest households.
Regarding the challenges of girls’ education due to social norms, she said the organisation was partnering with the Sultan Foundation to address any resistance from communities hosting the projects. (NAN)
