‘I Crave Education’: Borno Women Married as Girls Demand a Second Chance to Learn
‘I Crave Education’: Borno Women Married as Girls Demand a Second Chance to Learn
Young girls in Maiduguri, Borno State who were married as children are demanding more opportunities and access to education, reflecting the long term consequences of early marriage on children’s right to development.
The women, who were married from 13 to 16 years in Tashan Kangele community, expressed their desire to return to formal education and learn skills to build their own livelihoods and provide for their children.
Fatima Umar, 22, said she married at 16 and that she dropped out of Primary Five. Now she wants to finish her school days and get a job before she is 30.
Maryam Abba, 18, explained she got married at the age of 14, and currently has two children. Access to education will enable her to care better for her children and also for them to be educated, she said.
Aisha Usman reported that she was married when she was 13 after her mother died. She would like to go back to school to be able to read to teach her kids.
The women reported that many married adolescent girls are not knowledgeable of second chance and adult learning opportunities in Borno. They also reported financial problems, geographical and lack of awareness as a hindrance to education.
Umi Bukar, the Programme Director of Participatory Communication for Gender Development Initiative (PCGDI), cautioned that the lack of education for girls can lead to a situation where future generations will lose educational opportunities as well.
The calls highlight the role that second chance education plays as a child development and protection intervention, especially for girls who have missed out on school attendance due to early marriage. Accessible learning opportunities may allow them to catch up on lost learning and thereby positively impact their children’s learning outcomes.
