CSOs Intensify Digital Education Campaigns for Girls, Empowers FCT Students With ICT Skills
- The growing campaign for girl child education in Nigeria has once again been amplified for national attention
- A collaboration between Connected Development (CODE) and Ayamara Foundation passed this message recently at the celebration of the international day of the girl child
- Both civil society groups are calling on the government, the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders to invest in girl child education
FCT, Abuja - In commemoration of the international day of the girl child by the United Nations (UN), the Connected Development (CODE) and Ayamara Foundation staged a training to improve the ICT skills of girls in secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The executive director of CODE, Hamzat Lawal, during his welcome address at the training on Friday, October 14 said there is a need to continuously push the campaign for girl child education in Nigeria.
Source: Original
He said exposing girls to ICT education is a pathway to attaining the goals of educating the girl child and giving them veritable knowledge to compete with their contemporaries.
IDG: "Let girls be girls, not housewives" - Hamzat
While speaking on the challenges of the poor rate of girl child education in Nigeria and the possible solutions, Hamzat said:
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"Let girls be girls and not be housewives. My biggest challenge and the threat to our society is that we are giving girls hand in marriage. This is wrong, yes, the country is poor, and people are poor, but girls are not supposed to be brides, and we should desist from it because the fabric of society is demeaning.
"If girls continue to be brides then it means our children will end up in the street let us allow girls to be girls so they can flourish and grow in meeting their full potential."
Similarly, Dr Stella Ayamara Dorgu, the executive director and founder of AYAMARA foundation, said there is a need for the girl child to be digitally savvy to keep up with the pace of the global trend.
She said the mentorship program of the foundation would help girls discover and rediscover themselves in choosing the right life path and keeping up with their contemporaries in the western world.
Dr Dorgu said:
"Sometimes these girls, through their phones, already know a lot that is happening, but we are now exposing them to their laptops. You know, if this country were to be doing the right thing, all of these girls right from junior secondary should be given a laptop that's what is done in other places.
"This whole place should be wired, we should have Wi-fi, but with of course the protection. Yes, it's not going to be enough but we need to start somewhere and so we are starting somewhere."
"Nigeria cannot attain half its potential if girls do not go to school" - Hamzat
When asked if the initiative will be extended to the grassroots, Hamzat said:
"We started in the northeast. One, we want to end early child marriage. Two, to accelerate girl child education and ensure that no girl is on the streets in the northeast of Nigeria.
"We are hoping that we will scale this across the country. Also, our plan is to continue to collaborate with organisations like AYAMARA FOUNDATION where we can take our experience and skills to other states across Nigeria."
He also noted that in all its splendour and resources, Nigeria could not achieve its full potential if girls were not encouraged to go to school.
He said there is a need for the government and private sector to synergise and invest heavily in girl child education to breed a new generation that will hasten the developmental process of Nigeria as a nation.
Source: Legit.ng
