Nigeria gives married drop out girls another chance of education

The Nigerian government plans to introduce special schools for girls who dropped out of school for marriage.

According to the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, this is an opportunity for the women to continue their education from their marital homes, News Agency of Nigeria reports.

“All women that married at early age will have the opportunity to continue with their education from their husbands houses,” she told the media last week.

Aisha Alhassan explained that the school will be in two categories with one covering drop outs and the other offering adult literacy classes for those who have not attained any education.

“In the Adult literacy schools, the women will also be empowered with skills training during their lessons … The women will be trained how to make soap, local soft drink, candle, pomade, cake, local hair dressing, tailoring and other small businesses,” she said.

She also appealed to traditional and religious leaders to support girl-child education and encourage parents to send children to school.

43% of girls in Nigeria are married off before their 18th birthday and 17% are married before they turn 15, advocacy organisation Girls Not Brides states.

The prevalence rate of child marriage is as high as 76% in the North West region and as low as 10% in the South East.

Nigeria is the 17th country to launch the African Union campaign to end child marriage in 2016.