In a bid to bolster efforts towards improving access to quality education for girls in Nigeria, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has inaugurated a Technical Working Group (TWG) dedicated to girl child education. The initiative, spearheaded by Sen. Dr. Stephen Odey, Cross River State Commissioner for Education, aims to address the persistent challenges hindering girls’ education across the nation.
Sen. Stephen Odey, who was appointed as the Chairman of the Technical Working Group, emphasized the role the group would play in driving advocacy efforts and raising awareness to promote girl child education in the country. The inauguration ceremony, held yesterday in Abuja, marked a significant step towards prioritizing and addressing the educational needs of young girls in Nigeria.
The NGF’s decision to establish this Technical Working Group underscores a concerted effort among policymakers to tackle the barriers preventing girls from accessing education. Sen. Odey highlighted the urgency of the issue, stressing the importance of providing equal educational opportunities for all children regardless of gender.
The Technical Working Group is poised to collaborate closely with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, educators, and community leaders, to devise comprehensive strategies for advancing girl child education. Their mandate includes driving the implementation of policies, initiating advocacy campaigns, and fostering partnerships to create an enabling environment for girls to thrive academically.
Sen. Odey, expressed his commitment to leveraging the collective expertise and resources of the Technical Working Group to effect tangible change in the educational landscape for girls. He emphasized the need for sustained efforts to dismantle societal barriers and stereotypes that perpetuate gender disparities in education.
