Rakiya A.Muhammad
Malala Fund and its partners have stressed the need to implement gender-responsive education budgeting (GREB) to ensure investments address the specific needs of girls, tackle gender disparities in education access and outcomes and promote equitable education for all.
“Nigeria has made progress in using gender analysis for education policies, but still needs a cohesive national GREB framework,” they stated in a statement made available to RM Times.
They advocated for 12 years of free education for all Nigerian girls, and underscored the need for the Nigerian government to ensure at least 15% of the budget goes to education, aligning with global standards.
Malala Fund and 13 partners also urged prioritisation of girls’ education in the budget by significantly increasing funding to ensure every girl can learn in a safe and supportive environment.
The statement noted that Nigeria had in recent years allocated 5-8% of its national budget to education, significantly below the 15-20% benchmark recommended by UNESCO.
“This underinvestment has left millions of children, especially girls, without access to quality education,” it noted
“Girls in marginalised communities, particularly in the north, face multiple challenges including poverty, insecurity and socio-cultural barriers that hinder their access to education.”
The statement quoted Nabila Aguele, Chief Executive of Malala Fund Nigeria, saying,” Investing in education is the single most transformative step Nigeria can take to unlock the potential of girls and build a more equitable future.”
“Girls in underserved regions, who have the most to gain from education, deserve dedicated resources to remove barriers to learning. The 2025 budget is an opportunity to right this wrong and invest in their future.”
The statement stressed the need to ensure resources reach marginalised students, particularly girls in underserved regions, through dedicated budget lines and targeted interventions.
“Investing in girls’ education delivers unmatched returns. Research indicates that each additional year of schooling increases a girl’s earning potential by up to 10% and reduces the likelihood of child marriage and early pregnancy, ” it highlights
“At a national level, greater access to education leads to higher GDP growth, healthier populations and stronger economies.”
It also called for establishing strong mechanisms to ensure efficient resource use and transparent budget allocation and spending.
The statement urged the adjustment of funding models to consider population size and unique challenges to ensure an equitable distribution of resources to regions most in need.
