We must use early education for gender equity — Oluremi Tinubu

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has stressed the imperative to use education to shape attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours from an early age in Nigeria and Africa.

She said, that given the role of early education, it should be treated with the utmost importance.

She was speaking against the idea of using education to combat child and youth violence in Africa.

The First Lady, who joined other African First Ladies under the auspices of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development, OAFLAD, in Angola to launch the #WeAreEqual campaign, noted that education remains a critical component of any progressive society, thereby calling for the inclusion of activities to help dismantle notions of gender-specific roles in teaching.

“When gender equity becomes an integral part of our educational system, there will be a shift in societal attitudes whereby boys and men learn to respect and value women and girls as equals, reducing the likelihood of engaging in violent behaviour.”

“We are not unmindful of girls and women who have been victims and survivors. I chose education to drive the #We Are Equal campaign and specifically adopted the Alternative High School for Girls as the focus.”.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who decried the spate of gender and domestic violence, especially the incidences of rape and defilement, said educated and well-informed people of both genders would abstain from such.

“Education is not simply about acquiring knowledge and skills; it is about instilling values of respect, empathy and understanding. To go towards this goal requires the collective efforts of everyone.

“Therefore, I charge us all to commit ourselves to this important cause, for the sake of our children, the youth, and for generations yet unborn.”

In his address to declare the conference open, the President of the Republic of Angola, Manuel Goncalves Lourenco, urged the First Ladies to lend their voices to quell the various conflicts around the world, especially as women and children are the worst affected.

“By providing equal opportunities for girls and women to actualize their full potentials, it will go a long way towards eliminating the belief in the supremacy of men above women”

He commended OAFLAD for its efforts at giving women an audible voice in ensuring the building of a society where men and women have equal rights and opportunities.

Angolan First Lady Ana Dias Lourenco promised to sustain the fight against rape and see to the enhancement of legislation to punish perpetrators appropriately.

The launch of the #WE Are Equal Campaign for Angola had as its theme the role of education in achieving gender equality as a means to combat child and youth violence. In attendance were the First Ladies of Sao Tome, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, and representatives of others.

The campaign is one of the efforts of the OAFLAD to improve women’s equity and related issues on the continent.

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