Anambra State Government has initiated measures to tackle the high
rate of girl-child school dropout.
The Commissioner for Basic Education, Professor Kate Omenugha
disclosed this during an advocacy visit to her office by a
non-governmental organization, Women Information Network, WINET.
Professor Omenugha who commended the group for their effort said
that Girl-Child Education is a project that is dear to Governor Willie
Obiano.
Commissioner Omenugha suggested a partnership with the 2019 essay
competition winner, Miss Veronica Nnalue who she said was very
knowledgeable in sexual and reproductive health rights and collaborate
with the government so that the project would be replicated.
Prof. Omenugha recalled that a research titled”Girl-Child Education as an investment for Anambra State, Challenges
and Way Forward”, was done by the Ministry in 2016.
She explained that the study which focused on Ayamelum, Anambra East
and West, Awka North and Ogbaru local governments was done in about a
total of three hundred twenty-six households and revealed that the
rate of girl-child drop out is high.
The Basic Education Commissioner stated that the affected communities
are mostly fishermen and farmers with high poverty indices, regretting
that this encourages promiscuity and expose the girls to early
marriage while there is also high rate of teenage pregnancy.
Professor Omenugha also said that by September 2019, about fifty girls
and fifty boys from the areas will be moved into the boarding school
system to take them away from their communities and keep them in
boarding schools because nature and nurture help to transform a child
while there are also plans to build Teachers’ Quarters and move more
teachers to these areas.
Earlier, The Executive Director of Women Information Network, WINET,
Mrs. Miriam Menkiti, said the essence of the visit was to inform the
Commissioner about the project and seek her permission to sensitize
about one hundred students in Ebenebe community on Gender Based
Violence and Sexual Reproductive and Health Rights.
