GIRL CHILD EDUCATION: A VERITABLE TOOL FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The education of girls in Nigeria has encountered significant challenges due to entrenchedpatriarchal norms, resulting in the marginalization of girls in accessing formal education.This paper examined girl child education as a veritable tool for national development inNigeria. This paper adopted a discursive method. The importance of girl-child education indriving national development cannot be overstated. Investing in the education of girls yieldssignificant economic, social, and sustainable benefits for nations. Educated girls becomeactive contributors to the workforce, leading to increased productivity and economicgrowth. Moreover, girl-child education plays a crucial role in poverty reduction, as educatedgirls are empowered to break the cycle of poverty and create a better future for themselvesand their communities. However, girl-child education is bedevilled with several problemsranging from traditional and cultural patterns, the presence of the colonialists, religiousbeliefs, poverty and parental ignorance, cost of education, sexual violence and abuseamongst others as factors in Nigeria. The denial of full educational rights to girls has farreachingconsequences for society as a whole. The future of any society becomes uncertainwhen girls are deprived of their right to education. Therefore, this study recommends thatgovernment should take proactive measures to enhance girl-child education by substantiallysubsidizing tuition fees, particularly in public schools. Both governmental and nongovernmentalorganizations should collaborate to raise awareness among parents,especially those with limited education, about the dangers and repercussions of inadequateeducation for girls in local communities and society as a whole.