EAGSGS @60 : Abimbola Fashola Calls For Upliftment Of The Girl Child.

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GUEST SPEAKER: MRS FOLASADE ADEFISAYO – FORMER HONOURABLE COMMISSIONER FOR EDUCATION, LAGOS STATE.

INTRODUCTION
A girl child is a female child below the age of 18yrs. This is the last stage of the formative years.
Generally, the second phase of life is 18-25 yrs, when the child is expected to have known right from wrong, no longer in the confines of her parent’s home and taking responsibility for her life; but in Nigeria, the age bracket of this phase is 18-45yrs, because of the socio-economic and cultural climate. This makes the youth in this age bracket to avoid responsibility and at the same time enjoy some benefits of a child. It was emphasized that the narrative has to change, and can only be changed through education.

L – R : Dame Fashola and EAGSGS Global President, Mrs Rhoda Ayinde.

Education: Education is beyond academic exercise only. It involves understanding right from wrong. Life is a compliment of formal and informal education. Formal education sets one up for growth and it is the right of every child and not a privilege. Formal education is obtained within the four walls of a school, while informal education is obtained outside of a school based learning system. Both are required to raise a well-rounded personality in the society.
After 18yrs a girl child should be able to know what is right and wrong and choose to stand for the right conducts and contribute to the development of the society
Social Interaction: The girl child should be socially educated and be able to contribute to the good vibes in the society because values have been eroded and this has to be reversed as a matter of urgency. When a girl child is educated, a whole generation would have been educated.

Advantages of Formal Education:School is the foundation of what a girl becomes in life. So what you become in life, is what you make of the opportunities presented to you in your 6years in school.
Students should read wide, make research and verse in knowledge. Google is a very useful tool to learn virtually anything. Girls should however, be disciplined enough not to stay on the internet to do the wrong things. They should not listen to time wasters on social media and should be informed that most of the contents by these time wasters are false. They are warned not to allow their destinies to be derailed by such useless contents.
By educating the girl child, she is being given the right to develop into a responsible, resourceful woman in the world.
The School, if well structured, should bring out the best in our girls, by empowering them to think positively and be challenged to think outside the box.
Education aims to raise leaders and owners of businesses.

In order to maximize the opportunities education proffer, the School should do the following:
Ensure safe school environment for the girls.
Provide hotlines for the girls to share issues confronting them.
Organize Seminars on leadership, at least 2ce a year.
Encourage girls to have counsellors, mostly in the academia, to help shape their thoughts process.
Teach or invite people to share vocational skills knowledge with the girls
Provide platforms for the girls to speak out, to keep them out of trouble.
Teach self-esteem, personal/feminine hygiene, character, humility, act of listening etc
Teach them how to stand on their views without fear
Teach them to stay curious about the world and keep learning. They should not be discouraged.
Reach them to learn to forgive and forget.
Teach them to read wide, outside of their school books.
Let them know it’s alright to make mistakes, but must learn from them quickly and move on.
Teach them Empathy, Emotional Intelligence (EI), Reflection, Collaboration. They are Key Success
Factors (KSF) in leadership.
14. Teach them to be themselves at all times i.e. no deception, no false image of themselves

The Distinguished Guest Speaker then made the girls to say the following declaration, which they were admonished to keep declaring to themselves: “Who really can stop a girl child who has been empowered through education to achieve greater exploits? No human being can stop her. The girl child can conquer the world.”

She asserted that the girl child should dream big and aim higher. Her daily confession should be – “ My gender does not limit my being.”

To the Old Girls, the Distinguished Guest of Honor implored them to support the girl child education around them.

Principals of Eva Adelaja Girls Secondary Grammar School Bariga (Junior and Senior Schools) at the event

According to the second speaker, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, the girl child is endangered. 130 million girls are out of school in the world and of this number, 5 million are in Lagos! They start but drop out more often than not.
In some mixed schools, the girls are targets of molestation.
The girl child must have a vocation along with the basic education.
Humanitarian issues: the girl child lacks love and support. Parents should learn parenting and bring up responsible and God fearing children, especially girls.
Educating the girl child is multifaceted. Wherever, the girl child is, her impact must be felt. Education enhances this.
If we engage in girl child education, child marriage rate drops, maternal mortality drops, rate of stunted babies drops.

Girl child properly educated will operate with a free hand.Her word to Teachers: Teachers need to know that they have so much influence on their students. Therefore, they should show them love and be good role models to them.

Her word to students: Students must be focused. They must learn the 21st Century skills i.e. Collaboration & Team work, Emotional Intelligence (EI), Creative Thinking, Conflict Resolution. They should keep learning all life long.

Her word to the Old Girls: She asked them this question – “What is your Legacy?”
We have to leave an enduring legacy. The current education curriculum is out of date, obsolete for the present realities. Be an advocate for a change of the curriculum.
Pick your focus area. Advocate skills acquisition to the upcoming youths.
Develop your own strategic plan to achieving this.