According to UNICEF, over 10 million Nigerian children are out of school — more than 60% of them are girls.
As a new academic term begins across Nigeria, many primary and secondary schools reopen their doors, while some universities mark convocation ceremonies celebrating graduating students. Across towns, villages and cities in Nigeria, young students make their hair, pack their books, and walk to school with bright dreams in their hearts. Yet for millions of Nigerian girls, that daily journey to school — and the opportunity it represents — is far from guaranteed. Their stories reflect not only personal hope, but a long and ongoing struggle for equality, dignity, and opportunity in Africa’s most populous nation.
As we mark another International Day of Education, we are reminded that education remains one of the strongest predictors of anyone’s future. But for girls in Nigeria, access to education is still deeply unequal. According to UNICEF, Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, estimated at over 10 million, with girls accounting for more than 60% of that figure. While primary school enrolment has moved closer to gender parity nationally, sharp disparities emerge as girls grow older. Fewer girls transition to secondary school, and even fewer complete it — particularly in northern regions affected by poverty, insecurity, and deeply rooted social norms.
These realities are not accidental; they are the result of centuries of exclusion and uneven reform. At their core, there is an ongoing struggle to secure education for the girl-child as a right rather than a privilege. Examining the historical context of girls’ education in Nigeria can help us fully understand this struggle.
When were girls allowed to be educated in Nigeria?
Pre-colonial era
Long before Islamic and Christian education in Nigeria, indigenous societies had well-established systems of education rooted in daily life and community values. Scholars often overlook these systems, yet they formed the earliest foundation of learning in Nigeria, as families passed down knowledge. rather than formal schools.
For girls, education took place mainly under the guidance of mothers and older women. They were taught childcare, farming, cooking, weaving, household management, and assisted in family trades, alongside moral instruction that prepared them for adult life and marriage. Though different from Western schooling and strongly gendered, this form of education was structured, purposeful, and central to society.
Early colonial era
Western formal education began to appear in the mid-19th century with the arrival of Islam in the North and Christian missionaries in other regions. Long before government involvement, these mission schools offered girls limited access to learning, often emphasising domestic skills, moral instruction, or basic literacy rather than academic advancement.
Missionary schools (late 1800s – early 1900s)
Missionary organisations, particularly the Church Missionary Society (CMS) and Wesleyan Methodist Missions, established some of the earliest girls’ institutions: CMS female school in Lagos (c. 1872), Methodist Girls’ High School, Lagos (founded 1879), and Baptist Girls’ School, Abeokuta (1910)
These institutions provided elementary and secondary education specifically for girls, marking the earliest sustained efforts to institutionalise education for the girl-child in Nigeria.
Colonial government influence
Despite these early efforts, secondary education remained heavily male-dominated well into the colonial period. Before 1920, Nigeria had 25 secondary schools, yet only three were exclusively for girls and by 1949, just eight out of 57 secondary schools were girls-only institutions.
Change came slowly, underscoring how low a priority female education remained within colonial education policy.
Post-independence shift
Following independence in 1960, Nigeria began to approach education with greater national intent. Expanding access to schooling became part of the broader vision for development and self-determination.
Government initiatives, including free and compulsory primary education introduced in the 1970s, significantly increased school enrolment for children. More girls entered classrooms than ever before, though gender gaps persisted — especially at secondary and tertiary levels.
In summary, girls accessed formal education in limited numbers from the late 1800s, with broader access emerging through missionary initiatives and expanding after independence. However, structural inequality and cultural resistance meant that true equality remained elusive well into the modern era.
Read also: The alarming reality of girls’ education in Africa
Women who shaped education in Nigeria
The progress of education for the girl-child did not occur through policy alone. It was driven by women who challenged social norms, built institutions, and advocated tirelessly for girls’ intellectual development. Figures such as:
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, an educator and activist who organised literacy programs for women;
Lady Kofoworola Ademola, the first Black African woman to graduate from Oxford and a staunch advocate for girls’ schooling;
Lady Oyinkansola Abayomi, who supported girls’ secondary education and youth leadership, and
Wuraola Esan, founder of one of Ibadan’s earliest girls’ grammar schools, played a pivotal role.
Their work helped shift public perception, proving that educating girls strengthened families, communities, and the nation itself.
The current state of education for the girl-child: key statistics
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Despite notable progress, stark challenges remain:
Out-of-school children: Over 18.5 million Nigerian children of primary and junior secondary age are out of school, with girls comprising the majority, approximately 10 million.
Secondary education: Girls account for approximately 48% of secondary school enrolment nationwide.
Regional inequality: In parts of the North West and North East, fewer than 20% of girls attend secondary school.
Literacy: As of 2024, adult female literacy rate stands at roughly 82.7%, trailing male literacy, which stands at 90% and masking wide regional variation.
Early marriage: About 30% of Nigerian girls aged 15–19 are married, a major factor contributing to school dropout and non-completion.
These figures reveal that access alone is insufficient; retention, safety, quality, and social acceptance remain critical obstacles.
Read also: 7.6 million Nigerian girls are out of school: An overlooked crisis that demands urgent action
The continued struggle for education for the girl-child
Although Nigeria’s legal framework guarantees free basic education for every child, many girls face overlapping barriers: poverty, cultural expectations, early marriage, insecurity, and under-resourced schools. In conflict-affected regions, fear of abduction or violence has turned schools into spaces of risk rather than safety.
Yet evidence shows that progress is possible. Targeted interventions — philanthropic efforts and community engagement — have led to significant increases in girls’ enrolment and retention in some states. These successes demonstrate that sustained political will and social investment can reshape outcomes.
Education for the girl-child is not simply a social policy goal; it is a measure of national strength. Every girl denied education represents lost potential — diminished innovation, weaker institutions, and an unequal future. Every girl who is educated strengthens herself and her family. She improves public health, boosts economic growth, and expands democratic participation.
As this saying reminds us, “a country is as strong as its women.” Nigeria’s future will depend on how fully it turns this truth into action — by ensuring that every girl, regardless of geography or circumstance, is provided the opportunity to learn, to lead, and to thrive.
Read more: It is time for us to take empowering the girl child more seriously and here’s why
