Educationist task parents on girl-child education

Mrs Chinelo Ujubuonu, an Educationist, has advised families to educate girl-children to build their confidence to speak for themselves and build their own lives.

Ujubuonu, the Managing Director, My School Arena, an online community of creche, nursery, primary and secondary schools in Nigeria, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

She was reacting to the emotional and psychological damage early marriage causes a girl-child.

According to her, lack of proper education within the family and society is what causes poverty and families to be vulnerable.

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“Early marriage can be as a result of what the parents want for their daughter.

“Parents should also know that that thing that they want from their children, they can even get more when the child is educated.

“Early marriage in some places is cultural, the girls are already groomed to accept a man; but in a place where somebody feels that she is being denied of something and acts against it to the detriment of her family, I think it is not even permissible.

“But overall, we should as a society, start looking at giving our daughters basic education so that they can speak for themselves and be able to say this is what I want for myself,’’ she said.

Ujubuonu called on governments to join hands in educating the girl child, adding that families are cornerstones of every society.

She urged the government to do all that was within its power to reduce poverty.

She stressed that when families are educated, there would be a change in their living condition and they would be able to take action.

She added also that education would give them knowledge and skills of a trade that would make them competitive in a particularly productive field.

Besides, she said they needed to live in safe places where everyone’s basic needs would be met.