By Esther Akaa
The Nasarawa state government has taken a concrete step towards addressing the out-of-school crisis among school-age children by launching a guideline for the re-entry of adolescent mothers into the formal education system of the state.
The move, which was unveiled with much fanfare on 24th October, 2024 in the state capitral Lafiya is aimed at fostering a more inclusive and supportive educational system for adolescent girls; an initiative that was supported by Teenage Network with funding from Rise Up for Girls.
The State Commissioner for Education, Dr John Mamman who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Mohammed Bala at the unveiling ceremony said the choice of adolescent mothers was informed by the ministry’s recognition of the unique challenges adolescent mothers face.
According to the commissioner, Education is a fundamental right of every Nigerian and “ensuring that adolescent mothers have access to quality education is crucial for their personal developments and the well-being of their families and the society at large.
By addressing the barrier they face; be it stigma, financial constraint or childcare challenges, we can empower these young mothers to achieve their academic goals and improve their future prospects. This document serves not only as a roadmap for schools and educators but also as a call to action for the community to support and uplift these young mothers,” he said.
While commending the partnership between the Ministry and Teenage Network, the commissioner expressed optimism that the guideline for the education of the adolescent mothers would address the issues affecting them and call on other stakeholders to support the school re-entry programme for the young mothers in order to enable them succeed in their educational journey.
An ecstatic Executive Director of Teenage Network, Olanike Timipa- Uge , who expressed satisfaction that the yearlong collaboration between her agency and the Nassarawa state government has finally come to fruition, she said the school re-entry guideline was designed to provide a structured approach to aid the re-entry of adolescent mothers into the educational system of the state.
The guiding principles for the guideline, she added, include inclusion and non-discrimination, gender equality and safe guarding the best interest of children and empowerment which emphasised self-independence, self-determination among others.
The Executive Director also said that the target beneficiaries include; adolescent mothers, children born to adolescent mothers, educational institutions as well as stakeholders in the education sector.
“We look forward to a continuous partnership with this ministry as this is just the first step . The second step is to ensure that there is an up take of the provisions that this guideline has made available for adolescent mothers in Nasarawa State,” she said.
Earlier, the Director of Schools at the ministry, Mr Sylvester Yakubu appreciated the Stakeholders, especially the state adolescent mothers for sharing their experiences who had helped in identifying the needs of the beneficiaries.
