Early marriage: UNICEF pushes for compulsory education of girl-child

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has pushed for the compulsory education of the girl-child as a protection mechanism from forced early marriage.

UNICEF Country Representative to Nigeria, Mr Peter Hawkins, spoke when he featured as a special guest on the News Agency of Nigeria interview programme, Forum, in Abuja.

Hawkins, who said that child marriage remained a big issue in the country, urged all stakeholders to look for ways to prevent this to keep children, who are supposed to be in schools, in the schools.

“How do we ensure that girls are able to complete the full grade 12 up to the age of 18 so they can make decisions about their future.

“That is the most important issue that we need to take into consideration.

“The result of girls not going to school, especially junior secondary, is that they get married or they’re married off and I think that we must push for the girls to go to school.

“That, in effect, delays the marriage if they’re going to school.

If they don’t go to school, it accelerates the marriage because it is a protection mechanism.

“So, we need to look at those too in UNICEF as many of the traditional, religious leaders across the country say to me when we talk about child marriage.

“Child marriage is a big issue and I’m sure you will come on to it in Nigeria.”

Hawkins said girl-child education was one of the main priority issues UNICEF was working on because of its profound effect on the health of the adolescent girls.

He said that the Girls Education Programme (GEP) of UNICEF was an intervention designed to highlight issues of girls and education in the country.

“The programme will continue not as GEP but other interventions; what it did was to highlight the issue of girls and education and it looked into many different elements.

“One is access, which is about distance and so on; how do girls get to school?

, how can they go to school?

Are our families prioritising the girls to be able to go to school.

“Secondly is about the environment in the school which is about gender, teachers- that is women and men teachers in the school, to make it possible.

“The third is the transition from basic education to junior secondary education and that has many different aspects.

The UNICEF representative, therefore, urged the government to consider the social aspect of the education of the girl-child such as the provision of WASH facilities and travelling distance to and from schools.

Hawkins said that these, among many others, would encourage the girl-child to learn and continue learning.

Facebook Comments Box
Copyright 2024 ROYAL NEWS. All rights reserved. Digital material on this website, may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from ROYAL NEWS.
 

For Adverts and News/Event Coverage, contact 08061346946, 07030849251. Or email info@royalnews.com.ng

Download ROYAL NEWS app

Html code here! Replace this with any non empty raw html code and that's it.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Subscribe

Popular News

Latest News

More like this
Related

Emir of Ilorin rejoices with SEAP Chairman, Oladokun Olatunde at 60

The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional...

ONGOING…Oloyede leads JAMB team to monitor UTME registration exercise in Kwara

The Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculations Board, (JAMB)Professor...

Oba Abdulsemiu Ogunjobi suspended for 6months

The Ogun State Government has suspended the Olorile of...

Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari prays for Gov. AbdulRazaq at 65

The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional...

BREAKING… Emir Sulu-Gambari appoints Yakubu Layi Gobir as new Sarkin Gobir

The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional...

Senate maps out strategic moves against ‘Japa Syndrome’

The Senate through its Committee on Diaspora and Non...

KGHA restricts foreigners’ direct access to cashew farmers

Kogi State House of Assembly has called on the...

Tinubu departs Abuja for AU meeting in Addis Ababa, proceeds to France

  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Wednesday...

Read What Ilorin Emirate Youths Say About Gov. AbdulRazaq At 65

The Ilorin Emirate Youth Development Association (IEYDA) has extended...

Gov AbdulRahman @ 65: Transforming Kwara State Through Visionary Leadership

By Idris Alooma As Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq ...

Trump attacks Germany in furious tweets

US President Donald Trump responded on Tuesday to criticism...

Ibrahim Shekarau declares interest in 2019 presidency

Former Kano state governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, declares interest in...

Four couples are caned in Indonesia for having sex outside marriage (photos)

Four couples have been caned with up to...

NDLEA seizes 646kg hard drugs, arrests 60 suspects in Imo

Imo Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement...

Did Lt. Gen. Lagbaja resigned as Chief of Army Staff?

The Nigerian Army has dismissed reports claiming that Lieutenant...

Ex-Governor’s son, cousin die in auto crash

The former Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion...

Read how Pope Francis sustain injuries in Colombia

Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis has...

Report of under-dosed Paracetamol, disservice to Nigeria—NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and...