Adolescent Married Women In Kaduna Go Back To School

About 300 adult married women and adolescent girls in Unguwan Rimi, Kaduna metropolis, on Friday said they are ready to enrol for the Kaduna State Second Chance Education (SCE) programme.

The women besieged the palace of the Village Head, Alhaji Shehu Maikatifa, to declare their interest to enrol and acquire western education.The SCE programme was designed for females, males, and Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) or those with special needs who missed the opportunity to acquire basic education or dropped out from school for various reasons.

The women developed the interest for the programme after a sensitisation campaign on girls’ education in commemoration of the 2022 International Day of the Girl Child in the community.

The event was facilitated by an NGO, Coalition of Association for Leadership Peace Empowerment and Development (CALPED).Some of the women who spoke to NAN, among is one Fatima Umar, who dropped out of school at primary school level on account of marriage, said that she took the decision to be able to learn how to read and write.

The 49-year old woman said currently she could not read or write and had to depend on people to help her read or write whenever the need arises.

She said that the second chance education programme presented an opportunity for her to achieve her long-term dream of at least knowing how to read and write.

The story was no different for Suweba Sanusi, a 26-year old mother of three, who said that she dropped out of school just when she was to write her senior secondary school certificate examination.

The married adolescent said her father was late and was staying under the care of her grandfather who decided to marry her off just when she was about to complete her secondary school education.

“I am interested in the second chance education programme because I don’t want to be left behind and only education can enable me to tap from available opportunities for a better future.

“If you are not learned and cannot read and write, you will be schemed out of a lot of opportunities in communities.

“I have always wanted to complete my secondary education and proceed to a tertiary institution and now I have the opportunity,” she said.

Also, Adama Sani, 40, who dropped out of school at Junior Secondary School III, on account of pregnancy, said she could not continue because had to take care of her children.

“I heard that there is an opportunity for people like me and I am here to take advantage of it,” she said.

Earlier, the Head, Gender and Social Inclusion, CALPED, Smith Waya while presenting the list of the women to the village head, appealed to the traditional leader to support the women’s ambition to return to school.

Waya explained that the women developed the interest for the programme after a sensitisation campaign for girls’ education in commemoration of the 2022 International Day of the Girl Child in the community.

He said that with the district head’s blessing and support, the list would be submitted to the State Ministry for Education for appropriate action and placement to various learning centres.