The Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) has reiterated that it will continue to do its best in terms of creating more awareness and sensitisation for the girl child’s education.
It therefore applauded the establishment of the second chance school and prayed for the establishment of similar schools in more Local Government Areas of the state by the government.
The assertion was made by the Bauchi State Amira of FOMWAN, Habiba Usman, in a goodwill message delivered at a one-day meeting on the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project organised by the Federal Ministry of Education with support from the World Bank.
The theme was “Overcoming Social and Cultural Norms on Girl Education in the North East Zone: Roles of Traditional and Religious Leaders,” and the event was held at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Bauchi, on Thursday.
Habiba Usman stated that, “I would like to commend the efforts of the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, Sen. Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, for supporting issues that affect the girl child, ensuring equal opportunities, with much emphasis on education.”
According to her, “Islam has placed great emphasis on seeking knowledge and education for both men and women. The Qur’an and the Hadith of the Prophet (SAW) highlighted the importance of education for everyone without gender distinction.”
“The Prophet (SAW) says that seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim, male or female (Sunan ibn Majah). This statement establishes that education is a duty for both men and women in Islam. An example of educated women in Islam is shown from the house of Muhammad (SAW), Aisha Bint Abubakar, the wife of the Prophet (SAW). She was a great scholar, a teacher, and a transmitter of thousands of hadith,” she added.
The FOMWAN Amira stated that, “Fatima Al Fihri is a Muslim woman who founded the famous University of Al Qarawiyyin in Morocco, which is the oldest existing institution in the world. When we look at the first verses that were revealed in the Qur’an, they began with ‘Read in the name of your lord.’”
According to her, “This command to ‘read’ applies to all Muslims regardless of gender. Islam recognises that the educated mother plays a vital role in shaping families and societies. An educated mother influences the upbringing of her children and the community positively. Islam advocates for women’s education, but cultural practices in some communities challenge it.”
Habiba Usman added that, “These practices are not rooted in Islamic teaching but are influenced by local customs or misinterpretations. Over the years, the girl child has been left alone to discover herself through friends who are her peers and act under assumptions on issues that will shape her life.”
She stressed that, “most girls find themselves making great mistakes, which will haunt them for life, e.g., unwanted pregnancy, STIs, low self-esteem, school dropout, and so on. This is because most mothers, under the culture of hiding salient information regarding growth, see it as a taboo.”
“Indeed, this intervention will assist tremendously in helping the girl to know her self-worth, build her self-esteem, and become assertive towards seeing that she becomes a role model worthy of emulation in the future,” she added.
She further stated, “As part of FOMWAN’s efforts in complementing the government’s efforts in the state, it has 16 nursery, primary, and secondary schools across the state. FOMWAN will continue to do its best to promote girl-child education in the state.”
Also speaking, the Bauchi State Council of Jamaatul Nasir Islam (JNI) commended the government for the AGILE project, which it said will solve the problem of out-of-school children, with a particular focus on girls.
The JNI also stressed that Islam is in no way against the education of girls, but that the issue is a societal problem that needs collective efforts to solve.
The JNI added that Islam believes that educating a girl is equal to educating the entire community. It, therefore, assured that it will continue to support the AGILE project in ensuring that it succeeds in educating the girl child.
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