The United Nations Children’s Fund-UNICEF has announced that approximately 7.6 million girls, most of whom were from the northern region, were deprived of education in Nigeria.
Ms Cristian Munduate, the UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, had made the announcement in Kano while commemorating the International Day of the Girl 2023 ceremony at the Government House with the theme: “Our time is now – our rights, our future.”
She had noted that while the accomplishments of the girl child brought hope, the bigger picture still remained that an alarming 7.6 million girls in Nigeria lacked the opportunity to go school.
Ms Munduate had further explained that currently, Kano ranked second in the number of out-of-school girls in the country, emphasising the beed for the transformative power of education, a tool that not only provided opportunities but actively shatters the poverty cycle.
Munduate had additionally remarked that the sparkle seen by students in the event was a testament to the untold potential that lied within every girl child as their capabilities showed the outcomes that were possible when a girl child is empowered.
The students on their part had during a panel of discussion, spoken on different issues, including the issue of insecurity as a key barrier to the girl-child education, and on the need for the female child to participate in many sectors of human endeavour.
