The importance of Girl-child education in developing countries, specifically the north-eastern part of Nigeria, cannot be stressed enough. Although the literacy level of the male populace in the north-eastern region still falls low compared to the western, eastern, and southern parts of the country, it is alarmingly lower in females of that region. I will state below, some reasons that cause and/or contribute to this problem and proffer solutions which I think would curb this and be a step in the right direction towards eliminating the illiteracy that has been a major obstacle in the improvement and development of lives of families in the north-eastern parts of Nigeria.
1. Parental restriction on the girl-child access to education: The parents are an essential part of the process of educating the girl-child, especially at the initial or foundational stage. Their role comes into play when the child is at so early a stage that they don’t understand the importance of being educated, at that stage it is the role of the parents to make education accessible to the child. But how can this be achieved when, in almost all of these cases, the parents themselves are uneducated, therefore, also not fully grasping the importance of educating the girl-child?