Our Beloved Girl-Child Global Foundation, an NGO, has called on the Federal Government, to give adequate attention to female education, towards building a greater global society and to promote gender equality in the country.
Dr. Lilian Chinasa Obenwa, the president and founder of the foundation, made the call in an interview with newsmen to commemorate the International Day of the Girl-Child, celebrated annually on Oct. 11.
The International Day of the Girl Child is to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world through sexual abuse and violence.
Lilian said the youths, especially women and girls, should have a major role to play in governance to restore the pride and dignity of the girl-child, towards encouraging societal norms and values for nation building and development.
The founder maintained that the foundation has been empowering and promoting female education and providing educational support to young people through its female students’ scholarship scheme and skills campaigns.
She said that the organization has been able to build strong competence in empowering adolescent girls to understand the choices they have, how to envision self-defined goals and build social networks and relationship of trust.
“When one girl is educated, a whole community is strengthened, because educated girls delay marriage, have fewer children, earn a higher income and contribute to the community.
“When girls gain skills, knowledge and confidence, they break the cycle of poverty and rise up strong, so that their families and communities strive.
“There is a need for government to prioritise girl-child education by having a consistent and articulated plan captured in the budget.
“The girl-child education is very important, but it can’t be addressed without checking the poverty level in the country,” she said.
According to her, the proper upbringing of the girl-child is important, as it predicts how they perform in the domains of social competence, psycho-social development, academic performance and problem behaviour.
She also spoke on the need to equip parents with the knowledge and skills needed to take on the responsibility of parenting in the 21st century children.
“It is no longer a trend when we flog, detain or expel a child from school for misbehaving; rather, we persuade and make them understand.
“Everyone has a role to play in the society, including the security agencies, churches, mosques and the traditional rulers.
“My advice is that parenting starts from you; so, you have to actually become the kind of person you want your child to become,’’ she said.
However, Lilian lamented that the Nigerian parenting style had changed, saying that the parenting style today seems to be more loose and lenient.
The president advised parents, who leave their children at the care of care-givers, to strike a balance by giving adequate attention to knowing them better.
She noted that kids, who are not properly informed, were at greater risk of engaging in unsafe behaviours and experimenting with drugs.
