Educating Girl child will reduce early marriage, child mortality rate – Governor Bala

By Samuel Luka, Bauchi

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has stated that if Girl child is educated, the rate of early marriage and child mortality will be drastically reduced.

The Governor who stated this when he declared Open, Conference on Girls’ Education in North-East Geopolitical Zone held at the government house Bauchi on Thursday, said his administration has enjoyed the support of Traditional and Religious leaders in addressing some of the factors responsible for early child marriage, negative social norms, culture, tradition and poverty.

“There is no gainsaying, the fact that when we educate the girl child, early marriage and child mortality rates will drastically reduce”, Governor Mohammed said.

Governor Mohammed also said his administration has been partnering Traditional and Religious leaders in promoting Girl child education since inception in 2019.

According to him, for the Northern Region to achieve its educational goals, the Girl Child must be educated, adding that to achieve that, all critical stakeholders must collectively come and work together.

“While states are playing their roles, our Royal Fathers who are custodians of culture and tradition and revered religious leaders are expected to key-in to the various policy interventions and programmes such as Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project to improve education opportunities among girls in the North East Zone and the country in general”, the Governor pointed out.

He expressed hope that at the end of the conference, the monarchs and Religious Leaders will continue to lead in advocacy and awareness creation at the State, Local and Community Levels on the significance of Girls Education.

He further said that the traditional and religious leaders are also expected to lend support to the federal and Sub-National Governments and reorient their members and followers on myths and negative social norms which often prevent parents in supporting their wards and children to enroll into schools and complete certain level of Education in the North East Zone.

The Governor said, to promote Girls’ Education, Bauchi State Initiated some programmes such as introduction of girls only in schools at the Senior Secondary Level across the State.

Others he said include, implementing the Bauchi State Education Strategic Operation Plan, conditional cash transfer ranging from N5,000 to N10,000 per team paid to 16,260 girls in secondary schools across the State and construction and renovation of 120 schools with furniture under the AGILE Project.