United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) says 1.3 million girls in Nigeria drop out of school each year before reaching the last year of lower secondary school, known as Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS 3).
UNICEF Deputy Representative, Rushnan Murzata, disclosed on Monday in Abuja during the commemoration of the International Day of the Girl, with the theme “Digital Generation: Our Generation, Digital Revolution: Not without Girls”.
She said to close the huge margin in comparison to that of the boys, digital inclusion and specifically digital literacy is key, and crucial to the well-being and success in the ability to read and write.
“The gender digital divide in connectivity access to devices and the skills to use are real. Girls are less privileged in this area. This inequality has created an exclusion gap across geographies and generations. If we want to make digital revolution for all, and by all, a reality, then we need to act now with and for girls,” she said.
Murzata said adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to societal dynamics that limit their transition from primary to secondary school.
“Today, we want to focus on two concerns to improve the lives of adolescent girls and provide them with equal opportunities: transition to secondary education and digital literacy, digital access and use,” Murzata said.
She said the theme of this year’s celebration has come in the midst of recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic to access and quality learning, and the need to build a future generation with employability skills development.
