HOW CAN GENDER DESCRIMINATION BE ERADICATED IN EDUCATION?

1

• HOW CAN GENDER DESCRIMINATION BE ERADICATED IN
  EDUCATION?
• Gender discrimination can be eradicated through
  intensive public education to change deep rooted
  harmful beliefs and practices.
• WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR REDUCING GENDER DISPARITY?
• Reducing gender disparity is everybody's
  responsibility. This starts from parents, other
  family members, neighbours, community leaders,
  religious leaders and government at all levels
• ARE THERE HEALTH BENEFITS IN GIRLS EDUCATION?
• There are many health benefits, girls who are
  educated are able to take better care of their
  children, husband and other family members when
  they get married.

FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
GIRLS EDUCATION
2

• WILL THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BOARDING PRIMARY
  SCHOOLS SOLVE THE INSECURITY PROBLEMS OF GIRLS
  WHO LIVE FAR FROM SCHOOLS?
• Establishing boarding primary schools may not
  necessarily guarantee the security of girls in
  school.
• Parents, community and religious leaders,
  teachers and other stakeholders have to come
  together to proffer solutions that are applicable
  to their environment.
• WHAT TYPE OF SCHOOLS SHOULD GIRLS ATTEND
• A girl can attend religious classes for moral
  instruction but she should be enrolled for basic
  education to build her foundation for the
  development of her community.
• WHEN SHOULD GIRLS GO TO SCHOOL?
• Girls should be enrolled in early child care
  classes at the age of 3 years just as the boys,
  they should all proceed to primary one at the age
  of 6 and proceed to secondary school and the
  university.
• CAN CHILDREN CONTINUE TO PURSUE THEIR EDUCATION
  AFTER OBTAINING BASIC EDUCATION?
• Yes, both boys and girls should be encouraged to
  pursue their education after completing junior
  secondary school education. Parents, religious
  and community leaders should continue to
  encourage boys , girls and youths in their
  communities to continue to higher levels of their
  studies for professional courses leading to self
  reliance, increase of family income, support for
  their communities, their Local Government Areas
  and the Nigerian society at large.
• HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT ALL GIRLS ARE ENROLLED AND
  RETAINED IN SCHOOL?
• All girls can be sent to school if collective
  actions are taken, current efforts in some
  communities in Dass (Bauchi), Bama (Borno),
  Kazaure (Jigawa), Kurfi (Katsina), Shiroro
  (Niger) and Rabah (Sokoto) have earned the LGAs
  the highest enrollment rates in their respective
  states. Scaling up good practices and sustaining
  good efforts can promote the achievement of
  girls education objectives.
• Government should make schools more attractive by
  providing water, sanitation and hygiene
  facilities.
• Government should also provide more classrooms
  and materials like books, benches, desks, etc.

• WHAT IS NIGERIA GIRLS EDUCATION INITIATIVE
  (NGEI)?
• The Nigeria Girls Education Initiative (NGEI)
  is a partnership between Non Governmental
  Organizations (NGOs), Federal Ministry of
  Education (FME) and UNICEF evolved to be a
  platform for achieving the Millennium Development
  Goals (MDGs), the goals of Education For All
  (EFA) and Universal Basic Education (UBE) as it
  relates to girls education in Nigeria.
• WHAT IS GIRLS EDUCATION PROJECT (GEP)?
• The Girls Education Project seeks to identify the
  factors responsible for discrimination in
  education against girls and address such factors
  by promoting equal opportunities for children to
  enroll, attend and remain in school until basic
  education is completed.
• WHAT ABOUT BOYS EDUCATION?
• Boys are equally encouraged to go to school but
  because of the high number of girls out of
  school, the special focus on girls is therefore
  to bridge the gap.
• WHY THE EMPHASIS ON GIRLS EDUCATION?
• The gender gap in southern Nigeria is less than
  6 in favour of girls while in the North, it
  avereges 30 in favour of boys and in some states
  the gap is as wide as 48.
• Many studies have shown that when girls are
  educated literacy rates increase, families are
  better fed and nourished and family health
  improves. Educated girls are more likely to live
  and support their communities.
• WHY ARE GIRLS NOT GOING TO SCHOOL?
• Most schools lack adequate facilities to serve
  the needs of girls e.g. only 41.34 of primary
  schools in Nigeria have improved sanitation and
  51.46 have safe water facilities.
• On the average, there is only one toilet for 500
  school children in Nigeria. In some states the
  ratio is over 1000 pupils per toilet.
• Early marriage and teenage pregnancy, inadequate
  school infrastructure and cultural and religious
  biases are among the major issues that prevent
  girls from going to school.
• With almost 70 per cent of the Nigerian
  population living below the poverty line, girls
  are often sent to hawk in the markets or on the
  streets.