Parents urged to prioritise girls’ education

Parents have been urged to prioritise girls’ education and discourage child marriage, which exposes young girls to health complications, disrupts their schooling and limits their future opportunities.

Speakers made the call at an event to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child, organised by Inner Wheel District 912, Nigeria, and co-sponsored by Glance Fancier International Foundation at Ikeja Junior and Senior High Schools, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

The event, themed “End Child Marriage, Invest in Girls’ Rights,” brought together students and other participants to discuss the dangers of child marriage and the need to give girls opportunities to achieve their ambitions.

The International Day of the Girl Child is observed annually on October 11 to champion girls’ rights, address gender inequalities, and tackle widespread issues such as child marriage and limited access to formal education.

Representing the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, the Chief Social Welfare Officer and Deputy Head of the Child Protection Unit, Tunji Akewusola, said children needed guidance and protection because of their vulnerability and limited ability to make informed decisions on their own.

He said the ministry had engaged parents, guardians, schools, marketplaces and communities to raise awareness about child protection and harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child marriage.

Akewusola urged girls not to allow traditional beliefs about women’s roles to limit their ambitions, noting that women had continued to excel in different fields.

“The girl child should note that they are not second fiddle in society. It was an old saying that girl children do not need to go to school or be educated, and that their education will end in the kitchen.”

“But most times now, we have senators, we have ministers, and there are women who have been doing fine, which they can also emulate,” he said.

The District Chairman of Inner Wheel District 912, Nigeria, Mulikat Musa-Atinike, said preventing child marriage required the involvement of both girls and boys.

She said early marriage could expose girls to health complications, interrupt their education and limit their ability to contribute to society.

Musa-Atinike called on the government to provide quality education, healthcare and empowerment opportunities for girls.

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She said her organisation supported less-privileged students by paying school fees, providing vocational training for out-of-school children and helping teenage mothers return to school through financial assistance.

The organisation also paid West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees for boys and girls who needed support.

Also speaking, a Past District Chairman of the organisation and Chairman of the International Day of the Girl Child Programme, Gbemisola Rufai, said educating girls was essential to the development of families and communities.

She urged parents to educate their children about the importance of schooling and discourage practices that prevented girls from fulfilling their potential.

“The girl child needs to be educated. That’s the only way. You have to talk to the parents. If you don’t talk to them, if you don’t educate them, they will not know,” Rufai said.

Rufai, who is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of Glance Fancier International Foundation, said educating girls could benefit entire communities.

“When you develop them, when you train them, when they become women, they become mothers, and by the time you train a girl child, you are training a community,” she said.

She also advised students to work hard, plan their time and remain focused on their studies, warning that excessive use of mobile phones could distract them from their education.

The guest speaker, a psychiatrist and founder of Ifedoyin and Friends Charity Organisation, Marylove Olatubosun, highlighted the consequences of child marriage, including early pregnancy, domestic violence, loss of educational opportunities, economic dependence and mental health challenges.

She identified poverty, cultural practices and family pressure as factors that could contribute to child marriage, urging parents to communicate openly with their children and support their aspirations.

Olatubosun encouraged the students to speak up against practices that threatened their safety and future, stressing that every child deserved protection, education and a safe environment in which to grow.