UNESCO said keeping a girl in school is the best way to delay marriage and "the best way to keep a girl in school is by improving and investing in their learning."
Nigeria's Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, has said no less than 3 million girls across seven states are currently benefiting from the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment(AGILE) project of the Nigerian government, aimed at keeping the girl-child in school.
AGILE is a $500 million World Bank-assisted project to keep more girls in school and is currently being implemented in seven Nigerian states - Borno, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Plateau.
Mr Sununu spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at an event organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with AGILE to commemorate the 2023 International Day of the Girl Child.
Celebrated every 11th October, this year's theme aims to promote equal opportunities for girls, advocate for the rights of the girl child, and shed light on the challenges faced by girls worldwide due to their gender. The theme is; "Invest in Girl's Rights: Our Leadership and Wellbeing."
In Nigeria, the minister said the AGILE initiative has initiated skills and digital literacy training for 6,000 girls and financial incentives for 90,298 girls.
He added that 199,921 girls across the implementing seven states have received scholarships to help them stay in school.
"Our government has undertaken significant policy initiatives aimed at addressing the specific challenges faced by the Nigerian girl child," he said.
Increased girls enrollment
The minister noted that the government has achieved a substantial increase in girl-child enrollment and retention in schools through the AGILE project.
He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu is also keen on expanding the frontiers of girls' education with many more states signing on to participate in the AGILE Project.
Mr Sununu added that another World Bank-assisted project, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria Project (ANRiN), is also improving access to quality nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and young children in 12 states of Nigeria.
"These initiatives, along with others including the Safe School Initiative, are a testament to our commitment to ensuring that every girl child in Nigeria has the opportunity to fulfil her potential, receive quality education, and lead a healthy life. We believe that investing in our girls is not just a matter of social justice but also a strategic imperative for our nation's progress and development," he said.
The minister noted that while the initiatives have recorded a significant impact, the government recognises that much work remains to be done.
"Our commitment to the girl child's welfare and development is unwavering, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that every Nigerian girl has the opportunity to realize her full potential," he added.
Education, best investment - UNESCO
Speaking, the Director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Quentin Wodon, emphasised the need for teachers, especially female tutors, to become mentors for young girls to help guide them.
Mr Wodon noted that investing in education is the most valuable investment a country can make.
"I surely believe that investing in education is probably the best investment that a country can make use of. Also, we need to have more teachers and principals as mentors. I don't have the exact numbers for Nigeria, but I can tell you that in every African country that we have looked at, we have women who are teachers, especially principals with endurance who have served for many years," he said.
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He added that the best way to keep girls in school is by improving and investing in their learning.
According to him, there has been a slight reduction in child marriage before the age of 18 between 2013 and 2018.
"Keeping a girl in school is the best way to delay marriage and the best way to keep a girl in school is by improving and investing in their learning," he said.
He noted the risks associated with childbearing before the age of 18, for the child and the mother.
"Early childbearing can lead to child mortality and have adverse health effects on young girls. If a child is born by a child not up to 18 years of age, there is a tendency that the child may die before the age of 5," he added.
