Over the years, girl-child education has been described as one of the most important aspect of societal development, with many non-governmental organisations at home and abroad working to encourage it with huge investments. But unfortunately, in some parts of northern Nigeria, girl-child education is still facing several barriers, relating mostly to religion, culture and traditional beliefs.
At a community in Warawa Local Government Area of Kano State, our correspondent learnt that girls hardly go beyond secondary school because they would find it very difficult to marry as their men don’t usually go for those who go beyond that level.
Men in Jemagu believe that girls who go beyond secondary school would have experienced some social life that would make them very difficult to control. Residents said their children’s education, especially the girls, began and ended in Jemagu primary and secondary schools.
Babangida Adamu is among the men in Jemagu who believe that it is not proper to marry a girl who has gone beyond secondary school. He added that girls who acquire higher education would not like to marry men who have no formal education.
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“The truth is that any woman who acquired higher education would not like to marry a man with lower education. I will also not marry a girl who has university degree because I do not have a degree. This is why most men will not like to marry girls with higher education,” Adamu said.
A 25-year-old Khadija Muhammad Jemagu, who recently obtained a diploma in Marketing from the Kano State Polytechnic but does not have government job or husband, said she had resorted to helping a non-governmental organisation to promote girl-child education in her community. She believes there is the need to intensify awareness among parents on the importance of girl-child education.
According to Khadija, many people have told her that since she has chosen western education, it would be difficult for any man in her village to come close to her because the men believe that she is wiser than any man that may be willing to marry her since most of them do not have more than secondary education.
Read more: https://dailytrust.com/kano-community-where-girls-dont-go-beyond-secondary-school/
