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By:
Hassana
Shu’aibu
Senior
Programme Officer
ACE Charity
Following the official launch of the Adamawa
State Re-entry Guidelines to Education for Married Adolescents and Adolescent
Mothers, the State Government had again launches Evidence-Based Re-entry
Guidelines for Married Adolescents and Adolescent Mothers in collaboration with
ACE Charity and Malala Fund.
This launch marks an important milestone in
Adamawa State's commitment to ensuring that marriage does not permanently end a
girl's education. The Guidelines provide an evidence-based framework to support
married adolescents and adolescent mothers to return to school, remain in
school and successfully complete their education.
The Guidelines were developed by the Adamawa
State Ministry of Education with technical support from ACE Charity and funding
from Malala Fund. Their development was informed by extensive consultations
with key stakeholders, including education agencies, the Ministry of Women
Affairs, Children and Disabled, Ministry of Planning and Budget, development
partners, community and religious leaders, and married adolescents themselves.
At the heart of today's launch is the research that informed these Guidelines:
The study, conducted by ACE Charity with
support from the Malala Fund, revealed a powerful finding: 97% of married
adolescents in Adamawa State want to return to school. This demonstrates that
marriage does not diminish girls' aspirations for education. Rather, it is the
barriers they face that prevent them from continuing their learning.
The research found that the major obstacles
include financial hardship, childcare responsibilities, transport costs,
domestic responsibilities and stigma. Most girls said they would need financial
assistance, flexible learning opportunities and childcare support before they
could successfully return to education.
The study also challenges many common assumptions about community attitudes towards girls' education:
Community and religious leaders
overwhelmingly expressed support for married girls returning to school and
rejected the notion that religion or culture should prevent girls from
continuing their education. Many, pledged to use their influence to encourage
families and communities to support girls' re-entry into education.
Similarly, many husbands indicated that they
would support their wives' education if practical barriers such as
affordability, childcare and flexible learning arrangements were addressed.
They recognized that educating women strengthens families, improves children's
wellbeing and contributes to community development.
These findings demonstrate that while
significant challenges remain, there is also a strong foundation of community
support upon which meaningful change can be built.
The Guidelines provide a practical roadmap
for implementation through formal and non-formal education pathways, flexible
learning models, childcare and psychosocial support, teacher and facilitator
training and capacity building, community sensitization and engagement, active
involvement of husbands, traditional and religious leaders and other male champions,
as well as monitoring systems to track enrolment, retention, completion and
transition outcomes.
They also clearly define the roles and
responsibilities of government ministries and agencies, schools, School-Based
and Community-Based Management Committees, community and religious leaders,
development partners, civil society organizations and the media in ensuring
successful implementation.
This launch brought together senior
government officials, development partners, education stakeholders, community
and religious leaders, civil society organizations and married adolescents to
reaffirm their collective commitment to expanding educational opportunities for
married adolescents and adolescent mothers.
The programme featured goodwill messages from
government institutions like SUBEB and SAME and development partners. The
Keynote address was also delivered by the Commissioner of Education, Dr. Umar
Pella where he emphasized the importance of education for girls who are married
or mothers. The programme also featured the presentation of the research
findings, the formal unveiling of the Guidelines, and a high-level panel
discussion on "From Policy to Action." The discussion focused on the
practical steps needed to translate these Guidelines into meaningful change for
girls across Adamawa State.
The true measure of success will not be the
publication of these Guidelines, but the number of married adolescents and
adolescent mothers who are able to return to learning and complete their
education.
To achieve that, there is a call on
development partners, civil society organizations, traditional and religious
institutions, schools, parents, communities and the media to support the
implementation of the Guidelines and help ensure that every married adolescent
and adolescent mother who wishes to continue learning has the opportunity to do
so.
The launch also marks an important milestone
in Adamawa State's efforts to expand educational opportunities for married
adolescents and adolescent mothers. It reflects the Government's commitment to
ensuring that marriage does not permanently end a girl's education, and that
every girl has the opportunity to fulfil her educational potential.
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