Despite the plight of more than 200 abducted Nigerian schoolgirls grabbing the world’s attention, their remain insufficient focus on the wider issues of education and gender politics in African’s most populous country.
Nigeria has the highest number of children out of school. The majority of non attendees are girls, mainly in the majority Muslim north.
In regions where women have lower school status many parents opt to send their girls to work in market rather than to go to school. A lack of education vastly reduces a child’s chances of escaping poverty and has led to many girls becoming wives before their 16th birthday.
The bride price a family can command for their daughter is seldom linked to her educational achievement, some parents see no incentive in sending their girls to school. These worrying attitudes are exacerbated by some religious leaders, who argue that educating girls is un-islamic.
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