OOS: Stakeholders Urges to Encourage Adolescent Mothers Access to Education
By Adamu IMAM, Bauchi
In an effort to address challeges affecting women education in Nigeria through increase enrollment of Adolescent Mothers as their second chance to be educated, meeting of stakeholders intensified in Bauchi.
The meeting was organized by Women Child Youth Health and Education Initiative (WCY) and Supported by Malala Fund, Education Champion Network, have charted a way to enroll adolescent mothers to access education.
Rashida Mukaddas, is the Executive Director, of WCY who stated this on Wednesday during a one-day planning and inception meeting with education stakeholders on Adolescent Mothers Education Access (AMEA) project.
According to her, the project targeted three Local Government Areas of Bauchi, Misau and Katagum for implementation in the next three years.
She explained that all stakeholders advancing education in the state would be engaged by the organisation to advocate for more Girl-Child education.
She noted that, the target is to ensure that many married adolescent mothers and girls were enrolled back in school as their second chance.
“Today marks an important step in our collective commitment to ensuring that every girl in Bauchi state, especially adolescent who are married, pregnant, or young mothers has the right, opportunity, and support to continue and complete her education.
“This project has been designed to address the real and persistent barriers that prevent too many adolescent mothers from returning to school or staying enrolled.
“It is to address the barriers preventing adolescent mothers from continuing and completing their education and adopting strategies that will create an enabling environment that safeguard girls' rights to education while removing socio-cultural and economic obstacles,” She stressed.
Muqaddas explained that the stakeholders success of the project lies on the strength of their collaboration, the alignment of their actions, and the commitments they forge toward the implementation of the project.
Mr.Kamal Bello, during his presentation as the Project Officer of WCY, said that, collaboration of all the education stakeholders in Bauchi with the organisation could ensure strong partnership and enforcement of the Child Rights Act.
This, he said, could further ensure effective re-entry and retention policies for adolescent girls, increased community support for girls’ education and a Bauchi state where no girl was left behind because of marriage, pregnancy, or motherhood.
“It is observed that early marriage is one of the problems hindering girls' access to education.
“This organisation is working toward ensuring that girls that have dropped out of school due to early marriage are re-enrolled back in school,” he said.
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Adolescent Mothers