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By Gabriel Dike
Worried by the decline in primary school girls’ transition to Junior Secondary School (JSS), the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are partnering to address the trend in the country.
Apart from UBEC and UNICEF, others involved in the collaboration to improve the transition of the girl-child to complete JSS include the Federal Ministry of Education, officials of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and some non-government organiszations.
As part of efforts to tackle the decline in female pupils’ transition to junior secondary school, UBEC and UNICEF trecently organised a regional consultative meeting in Lagos with selected schoolgirls from seven states in the South-West to find solutions to the problem.
Addressing participants, the executive secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, said the meeting was part of the commission and UNICEF’s efforts at exploring further opportunities for improved girl-child education in the country.
Bobboyi, who was represented by the deputy executive secretary of UBEC, Dr. Isiaka Kolawole, acknowledged the clarion call by stakeholders for the girl-child to acquire basic education and other life skills, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, religion and other socio-economic or cultural considerations:
“We are aware that a significant proportion of girls in primary education face complex challenges in completing basic education as well as accessing health and economic opportunities within their domains.”
“Importantly, available data indicate that primary school enrollment rate for the girl-child starts high and drops significantly with less than 30 percent of the enrollees transiting to the junior secondary level,” he added.
He said based on the decline, UBEC and other public organizations deemed it fit to collaborate towards addressing the unacceptable practice and ensure that girl-child is given the right attention and encouraged to acquire basic education.
In her remarks, UNICEF Education Specialist, Azuka Menkiti, said the gathering is in collaboration with UBEC to promote girl-child education and improved their transition to JSS.
Menkiti revealed that the consultative meeting is also being held at four other regions, which is basically to find out from the invited female pupils why they don’t transit to junior secondary school unlike the boys
Giving reasons for the drop in transition, she said girls struggle with several issues in the society such as social norms and cultural related issues.
She explained that when a family is faced with financial difficulties, parents would rather sponsor the boy and ask the girl to drop out of school.
Another reason she gave is that domestic chores in the house are left for girls, thus they go late to school, which affect their academic performance.
