The Federal Ministry of Education, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom, and UNICEF executed the Girls’ Education Programme Phase 3 (GEP3) from 2012 to 2022 across six northern Nigerian states: Katsina, Kano, Niger, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Bauchi.
The collaborators reported that the $109 million investment in GEP3 produced favorable outcomes in enrolling an additional 1.5 million girls in schools, significantly surpassing the project’s objectives, during the national closing ceremony in Abuja on November 24, 2022.
Advancement in girls’ education
Girls’ primary school enrollment escalated from 43% to 70% in the six states, while gender parity improved from 0.73 to 0.97.
GEP3 aimed to enhance the quality of education for all children while also aiding girls in obtaining improved access to education and economic options, hence breaking the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.
“In our determination to significantly diminish the number of Out of School Children, Nigeria values the expansion of evidence-driven solutions to address this issue as facilitated by GEP3. As we proceed along this avenue, we will capitalize on the successes of GEP3 to plan more effectively, allocate better resources, and make improved choices to enroll more Girl-Child in schools,” stated Honourable Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu.
“GEP3 has not only succeeded in increasing the number of girls entering formal and non-formal educational institutions, but it has also enhanced learning outcomes. GEP3 has elevated the status of educated girls, fostered new positive social norms in various communities, and prompted a transformative change in attitudes regarding the significance of girls’ education. It is essential that we advocate for the scaling of this method across all states,” commented Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.
“I extend deep gratitude from UNICEF to the UK Government for this enduring commitment and funding for girls’ access to primary education in northern Nigeria. Together, there remains substantial work to be accomplished, ensuring that girls transition to and complete secondary education. This is vital not only for the economic success and well-being of the girl and her family but also to mitigate the anticipated high population growth in Nigeria. We perceive FCDO and the Nigerian government as steadfast collaborators in this intricate endeavor,” Munduate added.
Alongside surpassing its enrollment targets, GEP3’s innovations, policies, and best practices are enriching Nigeria’s educational framework.
As a component of its GEP3 initiative, school management and the provision of effective learning opportunities for girls have undergone capacity-building efforts among headteachers and educators.
GEP3’s unconditional cash transfer initiative supported over 23,500 girls and alleviated household poverty, enabling families to send girls to school and enhancing women’s capacity to generate additional domestic income.
Moreover, community-oriented structures like Mothers’ Associations, School-Based Management Committees, and High-level Women Advocates have been established as sustained platforms for community mobilization, mentorship, and advocacy on girls’ education.
The programme also contributed to strengthening non-formal Qur’anic schools by integrating foundational literacy and numeracy. The Reading And Numeracy Activity served as an early literacy and numeracy intervention to boost learning levels (RANA). RANA was developed to enhance literacy and numeracy instruction in grades 1-3 across over 3,800 public and Islamic schools. RANA created Hausa-language teaching and learning resources, improved teacher competencies, mobilized communities, and collaborated with local governments to advance early-grade reading policies.
More than 67,000 primary school teachers, including those in Integrated Qur’anic schools, were trained as part of the GEP3 initiative to enhance their skills and capability to deliver quality education.
“The GEP3 has emerged as one of the UK’s most substantial bilateral Girls’ Education programmes globally. We have witnessed commendable advancements in improving girls’ access and progressing towards gender parity; however, with a growing population, Nigeria’s figures of out-of-school children remain high for both girls and boys. We must ensure that we build upon the successful interventions of GEP3, supporting them to be scaled-up and sustained to serve as catalysts for change in the broader sector,” remarked Catriona Laing, British High Commissioner to Nigeria.
