PAGED Initiative Organises 3-days Girls Child Education Advocacy Programme in Kano
Lukman Abdulmalik
The Participatory Communication for Gender Development (PAGED) Initiative has charged parents, stakeholders and the government to ensure active enrollment of girls in school.
According to the organisation, girls’ education strengthens economies and reduces inequality. It also contributes to more stable and resilient societies that benefit all individuals.
PAGED Initiative Programme Director, Ummi Bukar, made the advocacy during a three-day mobile cinema session in Karaye, Sumaila and Makoda Local Government Areas of Kano State.
She clarified that investing in girls’ education is not only a moral obligation but also a sound strategy for long-term development.
“Our organisation advocates for girls’ education by learning from the grassroots and using mobile cinema to educate parents on the importance of girls’ education.
“We use mobile cinema to educate and raise awareness about girls’ education because we believe that engaging only mothers will not achieve our goal.
“Therefore, to have better outcomes, we involved the fathers.
Rukayya Salisu, a parent and resident of the Turawa community in Kano State’s Karaye Local Government, was among those who took part in the session and expressed her happiness for the documentary that was shown to them.
She added that she wanted to continue sending her children to school.
“I learned a lot from the documentary, which is very educational.
“We will send our children to school, but it is not that we do not want to send them to school; it is just that poverty is a factor.
“So we have to send them to do hawking in order to earn a living before we send them to school, but we are trying our best.”
At Kuguna, PAGED Initiative visited the District Head Palace, Alhaji Labaran Abdullahi Dutsin Gima, in Makoda LGA, to discuss the importance of girls’ child education.
He lauded the effort of the initiative towards promoting girls’ child education, adding that the programme is a nation-building project.
“We will assist you in achieving your project’s goals and objectives.”
Hauwa Mukhtar, a beneficiary of the mobile cinema session, stated that their problem is not that their children are not sent to school, but that there are no teachers in the schools where they are sent.
She emphasised that the presence of teachers will determine the enrollment of their daughters in schools.
Kabiru Musa, another beneficiary from Kuguna, Makoda, who attended the session, found it very educational and intends to do the right thing by allowing his children, particularly girls, to attend school.
On the third day, PAGED Initiative visited Sumaila LGA for the advocacy of girls’ child education, during the mobile session, Abubakar Adamu Yusif, a participant, stated that educating a girl is equivalent to building a nation.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure that our children, particularly girls, have equal access to education.”
“But with this mobile session, we are more enlightened on how we should ensure our girls are educated because it is very important.”
PAGED Initiative is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation on a mission to foster inclusiveness and equity in every aspect of life in Nigeria and promote participatory communication in society by ensuring that marginalised groups are understood and empowered and that women and men are encouraged to work together towards achieving parity for all.
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