As part of deliberate effort towards supporting ministry of education to strengthen attention on gender issues, the Gender at the Center Initiative(GCI) in Nigeria has organised a high level meeting on Gender Responsive Education Sector Planning in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic in Adamawa state.
The meeting was organised primarily so as provide opportunity for deliberation on gender issues affecting both boys and girls in schools as well as to support ministry of education to strengthen attention in the development, implementation and monitoring of education plans.
It also aimed at providing avenue for critical Stakeholders, Civil Society Organisations and Students to discuss on practical steps to be taken to support girls' re-enrolment and a more gender responsive education system now that schools are fully resumed.
The one-day meeting held in Yola, the Adamawa state capital, attracted the Chairman Adamawa Assembly Standing Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Kate Raymond Mamuno(Demsa), the Commissioner Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Hon. Wulbina Jackson, representative of the Commissioner Ministry of Finance, Chairman Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Salihi Ateequ, CSOs, and Students from various institutions of learning.
During the meeting, the participants identified early marriage, sexual harassment, poverty, finance, religion, lack of conducive environment, culture among others as factors mostly affecting the attainment of quality education by boys and girls in the society.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman House of Assembly Standing Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development and Member representing Guyuk constituency, Hon. Kate Raymond Mamuno applauded GCI for organising the meeting, saying that the state will benefit enormously from the meeting.
The female Legislator stressed the readiness of the House of Assembly to enact a law on girl child education in the society, saying that their efforts is to discourage early marriage as it affects girl child.
Also speaking, the Commissioner Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Hon.Wulbina Jackson, told the gathering that her ministry is very much concerned about gender issues, saying that the ministry will do everything possible towards encouraging girl child.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman Universal Basic Education Board, Salihi Ateequ, noted with concern how the society does not accord a deserved attention on issues of gender, and appealed for synergy towards addressing it.
Speaking earlier, Led Consortium of GCI, Jiddere Musa Kaibo, disclosed that GCI started in 2019 under the leadership of G7 including USA, UK, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Italy, adding that ministers of education of the aforementioned countries have made gender a key priority during their meeting.
Jiddere Kaibo disclosed that GCI recognises the urgency of ensuring that all boys and girls around the world are able to access quality education as a fundamental right, advocating for availability of schools for children, and effort to ensure that children are safe in schools and observe Covid-19 protocols.
According to her, the sole aim is that gender should be at the center of all decisions, and that government should be able to factor gender whenever it is building schools, and pledged to strive assiduously towards strengthening attention on issues affecting boys and girls in schools.
Jiddere Musa Kaibo who is also the National Chairperson of Forum of African Women Educationists (FAWE) stated that Plan International, FAWE and Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All (CSACEFA) are implementors of GCI, and appreciated the state government for its support.
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