My journey from the courtroom to the classroom was not merely a career shift, it was a redirection of purpose. I came to understand that while laws can create order, education creates opportunity, and for millions of Nigerian girls, opportunity remains the missing piece.
In leading the Girls Applause Initiative (GAI), I have witnessed firsthand how access to education transforms not only individual lives but entire communities. Through mentorship, school retention programs, menstrual hygiene campaigns, and our flagship “One Girl, One Dream” project, we have reached thousands of girls across Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo States. Each interaction underscores a simple truth: gender equity in education requires more than access — it demands transformation.
From enrollment to retention: Keeping the promise of education
Nigeria has made commendable progress in enrolling girls in basic education. However, completion rates remain distressingly low, especially at the secondary level. Early marriage, poverty, gender-based violence, and the lack of safe learning environments continue to drive girls away from classrooms.
True reform must go beyond enrollment numbers to focus on retention and continuity. Policies should embed child protection frameworks within schools, integrate menstrual hygiene programs, and support mother–daughter community clubs that keep girls engaged in education. Every girl who begins school deserves the structural and emotional support to finish.
Gender-responsive teaching: Reforming what we teach and how we teach it
Equity is not achieved by simply placing girls in classrooms designed for boys. The system must evolve to reflect their realities, aspirations, and voices. Many teachers still unconsciously reinforce gender bias by steering boys toward science and leadership while directing girls toward less competitive fields.
We need gender-responsive pedagogy that empowers girls to lead discussions, challenge assumptions, and envision themselves as innovators. The national curriculum must highlight women’s contributions to Nigeria’s growth – from business to science to governance, helping young learners internalize equality as a norm, not a novelty.
Partnering grassroots organizations for sustainable impact
Grassroots organizations like Girls Applause Initiative are often the first to identify the subtle social and cultural barriers that national policies struggle to address. Working within communities gives us the trust and agility to respond effectively. Yet many local initiatives operate without sustainable funding or official partnership channels.
Nigeria could achieve remarkable progress if state and federal education ministries formally recognized and supported these community-based actors as policy partners, not observers. Small, well-structured grants to credible NGOs could deliver measurable results, improving school attendance, supporting mentorship, and amplifying gender-equity messaging where it matters most.
Technology as the great equalizer
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how fragile our education system can be, and how powerful technology can become when properly harnessed. While urban students continued learning online, millions of rural girls were excluded by the digital divide.
Technology must now be treated as a right, not a privilege. Girls in rural communities need access to low-cost e-learning tools, digital literacy training, and data support. Public–private partnerships with telecoms and EdTech innovators can establish digital hubs in secondary schools, ensuring that the next generation of Nigerian girls learns through technology, not merely about it.
Leadership as the endgame of education
The purpose of educating a girl is not only literacy but leadership. We must move beyond access to empowerment and lean towards nurturing confidence, curiosity, and courage. Education should build the character and capacity to influence society positively.
At Girls Applause Initiative, we have seen how mentorship programs inspire transformation. When girls see mentors who look like them succeed, they begin to imagine themselves in those roles. Policymakers should institutionalize leadership-building in school curricula through debate clubs, civic training, and mentorship schemes. A girl mentored today can become a policymaker tomorrow.
The economics of gender equity
Gender equity in education is not just a social imperative, it is a national investment. Every additional year of schooling for a girl increases her future income potential, reduces poverty cycles, and contributes directly to community development. Educated women are more likely to invest in their children’s education, health, and nutrition, creating an upward spiral of progress.
If Nigeria seeks economic diversification and human-capital growth, educating girls is not charity, it is strategy. Gender-inclusive policies should be treated as pillars of national development, not side projects of social welfare.
A call to action
As I often remind my audience, “The law gave me the tools, but education gives society the transformation it needs.”
True transformation will occur only when our education policies evolve from being access-driven to empowerment-centered.
We must see every girl not as a passive beneficiary, but as a potential leader. We must measure success not by enrollment charts but by empowerment outcomes. Advocacy must now transition into architectural policy action – deliberate, data-driven, and community-anchored.
Because when a girl is educated, she uplifts not just herself but her entire generation. And when nations invest in the power of their girls, they secure their future.
About the Author:
Fadekemi Soetan is a lawyer and education reform advocate. She is the Convener and Executive Director of the Girls Applause Initiative (GAI), a nonprofit promoting access, equity, and leadership development for girls across Nigeria.
