Islam not against girl-child education, says Sultan

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, says Islam is not against the education of the girl-child.

He stated this on Thursday in Bauchi during the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project, organised by the Ministry of Education, with support from the World Bank.

It was held with the theme: “Overcoming Social and Cultural Norms on Girl Education in the North East Zone: Roles of Traditional and Religious Leaders.”

The Sultan said: “Islam is not against the education of the girl-child. There are a couple of reasons the issue is not tackled here and in other states. The main thing is how it is being done to educate people.

• Boko Haram: 10,000 civilians died in military custody –Amnesty Int’l 
• Digital connectivity plays huge role in driving economic development – WATRA

“When I was coming here, I saw some children hawking on the street and I was wondering, I asked some of them and they told me that they have morning and afternoon sessions at school.

“I think it is very important to talk to ourselves. Giving the girl-child education is the best thing to do because she will use it to better the society as she will take care of herself, her family and the community irrespective of ethno-religious”

He also called on northern governors to make available adequate funding for education, in order to tackle lack of education for the girl-child and other children in the region.

In his remarks, Governor Bala Mohammed said that his administration is committed towards improving girls education in the state.

Mohammed added that since his assumption of office in 2019, his administration had constructed over 5,000 blocks of classrooms and renovated many others, adding that traditional and religious leaders had been assisting the state in promoting school enrollment, retention and completion, particularly among girls.