Kaduna State Government, North West Nigeria says it is collaborating with development partners to ensure girls have access, not only to education, but also reproductive health information and services.
The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Hafsat Baba, stated this on Thursday at a news briefing marking the International Day for the Girl-Child in Kaduna.
Baba said, “Empowering adolescent girls will be incomplete without ensuring that they have comprehensive life planning skills and education.”
She said that this would empower and assist them to understand their reproductive health, rights and life skills such as negotiation, assertiveness, self-esteem, goal setting and decision-making.
The commissioner said there were skills that would empower them to make informed decisions and choices.
“With life planning skills, our married adolescents will be able to have access to child spacing services that will in turn help them improve their overall wellbeing and contribute to Kaduna State having more skilled girl force.
“Pregnancies among unmarried adolescents and rising cases of rape in our communities, it is important to ensure that more girls and their mothers are educated,’’ she said.
Baba said that Gov. Nasir El-Rufai’s administration was working toward ensuring that girls stay in school, hence his declaration for free education up to secondary schools for the girl-child.
“Kaduna Government has constituted a high level committee that is charged with creating a state plan for continuing education.
“As we intensify efforts to ensure education without disruption for girls, we also acknowledge that some adolescent girls have been abruptly removed from school,’’ she said.
Baba added that government was committed at creating another way back into formal education, a second chance of sorts.
“We hope that with this programme, girls that hitherto add to the numbers of out of school will be salvaged and added to the schooled,’’ she said.
NAN