THERE is something particularly troubling about a country where educating the girl-child is considered less important. And it is not because she lacks the capacity to learn, but because society erroneously thinks educating her is not worthwhile. Nigeria remains trapped at that juncture despite clear examples to the contrary.
Consequently, millions of its girls are shut out of school. This is dangerously absurd, and should be corrected.
Data from a training in Maiduguri organised by the Borno State Ministry of Education in conjunction with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment Project states one inescapable truth: Nigeria is lagging in girl-child education.
The figures from Muhammad Auwal, a girl-child education advocate who drew attention at the event, are stark.
About 7.6 million Nigerian girls are out of school, with nearly half of them in the North. UNICEF also cites the data.
