By Ngozi Nwankwo
Federal Government, through the National Unit of the Adolescent Girls Initiative For Learning and Empowerment, AGILE, has on Wednesday officially kick started National Campaign on MADUBI.
Speaking at the event, the National Project Coordinator, Mrs Amina Buba Haruna, said AGILE project is an initiative of the federal government of Nigeria, supported by the World Bank to reduce the gender gap in secondary education completion rate and labor market transition among adolescent girls between the ages of 10 to 20 years.
The AGILE Project, according to her, is implemented in seven states of Nigeria which included Borno, Ekiti,Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Plateau with prospects of additional 11 states.
She said the project would improve secondary education opportunities among adolescent girls in the participating states by addressing the specific socioeconomic cultural/ religious norms and other constraints hindering their enrolment and completion of secondary education.
" AGILE is building stronger communities across Nigeria by increasing access to secondary education for adolescent girls; reducing barriers to knowledge and establishing strengthened support systems for sustainable learning to inspire a better future," she said.
It was gathered that, the project was launched officially by the President Muhammadu Buhari on 16th February, 2023 and it aimed to benefit 21.5 million direct and indirect beneficiaries in its lifetime.
Explaining the premise of MADUBI which means Mirror in Hausa language, the National Project Coordinator said: " If we acknowledge the role of females as multipliers of society and first point of contact in learning, then: our future is a mirror of the opportunities afforded to the girl child today.
" Education is 'Madubi'- a mirror, or looking glass through which we can view not just a reflection of the girl child's potential, but that of the entire society."
Haruna said every child, both girl and boy has a right to access quality education, adding that denying girls this right exposes them to increased social, health and economic risks which result in inequalities and less productive lives.
She, therefore, called on the collaborative effort of various stakeholders to address the challenges hindering girl child's enrolment and completion of secondary education.
In her presentation, the AGILE Partner, Khadija Bello lamented that there are more girls out of school than boys, calling on the traditional, religious and political leaders to promote campaign for girl child education.
Bello, who said human development outcomes are low in Nigeria, particularly amongst girls, has called on media and other stakeholders to start or join the discussion on increased access to education for adolescent girls using AGILE conversation trackers #Madubi, #GirlInTheMirror.
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