Last week, I had the honour of serving as a guest speaker at Saint Louis Grammar School Junior, Ibadan, as part of the History Awareness activities for their 65th anniversary. As someone who also attended an all-girls school founded by Catholic missionaries, it felt special to return to an environment like this. I was invited to speak on issues affecting Nigeria today and the role that the students can play in shaping the countryโs future. Given that it was an all-girls school, I focused on the importance of girl-child education. I discussed how education empowers girls to participate meaningfully in leadership, governance, and national development. I shared a brief history of girl-child education in Nigeria and the role played by faith-based institutions like Saint Louis Grammar School in expanding access to formal education for girls, especially at a time when female education was not widely prioritised.
Globally, education is recognised as the fundamental driver of empowerment, enabling individuals to make strategic life choices, access resources, and exercise agency in their personal and community lives. Education equips individuals with the skills, values, knowledge, and attitudes to make informed decisions about their lives and to contribute to society. It also equips girls with the skills to overcome socio-economic barriers and challenge traditional gender roles that limit their opportunities. Education provides girls with access to decent work thereby reducing the gender gap in economic opportunities and addressing the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work. Yet, for many years in Nigeria and across Africa, girls have experienced lower educational opportunities to boys. Ensuring that every girl has access to quality education is an important investment in national development.
Investing in girl-child education is recognised worldwide as the single most effective investment for reducing poverty, inequality, health, nutrition, and economic growth since educated girls are more likely to secure better employment, which in turn facilitates economic independence and improved living standards. Investing in girl-child education means investing in half of the population. It means investing in women who are central to family life, health, economics, and civic life. Research has shown that giving girls equal access to education improves health outcomes, economic growth, and reduces poverty for families and nations.
The session was highly interactive as I made a deliberate effort to carry the students along by encouraging dialogue rather than delivering a one-sided lecture. I began by asking the students to share what they would like to be when they grow up, and I received responses such as doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, artists, etc. From there, we reflected on what it takes to turn those dreams into reality, especially in a country like Nigeria. We discussed national challenges and reflected on the kind of leadership Nigeria needs. I asked them to imagine themselves as future leaders and consider the values and priorities they would uphold, and the steps that they would take in addressing some of the challenges that we currently face in Nigeria. They gave important recommendations, including creating more jobs, addressing issues of unemployment and using the law to fight corruption and other illegal practices.
During our interaction, I realised many of the students were not familiar with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This created an opportunity to introduce them to the 17 SDGs in a language they could easily understand. I explained the connection between the SDGs and girl-child education, with particular emphasis on SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and how empowering girls is central to achieving sustainable development in Nigeria. The Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) aims to ensure inclusive, equitable, quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030, with a focus on eliminating gender disparities (Target 4.5). It mandates free primary and secondary education for girls, access to early childhood development, and equal opportunities in technical, vocational, and tertiary education, including university. Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030, with a critical focus on eliminating discrimination, violence, and harmful practices like child marriage. Within this context, ensuring quality education for the girl child is regarded as being essential as it drives economic empowerment, promote health, and breaks cycles of poverty, thereby enable women and girls to reach their full potential.
I also invited them to share their understanding of each goal and reflect on how they could contribute, even at their age. By the end of the session, the students made a collective commitment to work towards advancing at least one of the SDGs before the 2030 benchmark. Overall, the session was interactive, reflective, and inspiring. It was encouraging to see young girls engaging with national issues and recognising their potential role in Nigeriaโs development. Moments like this remind me of why it is important to invest in the next generation. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a meaningful milestone in the history of Saint Louis Grammar School, Ibadan.