Page 18 - 2025_Magazine_91-4

Viewpoint

Broughton: I remember you saying something about this several years ago when
you commented about “putting up high fences for the girls.” I asked if you meant
“setting high goals/standards” for your students, and you commented, “No, physical
fences.” That is when you commented about the prevalent kidnapping issues. Are
there further challenges other than kidnapping and domestic violence?

Momodu: Long and tiring schedules are also a challenge for our students. This includes religious
obligations, which sometimes require girls to participate in activities after regular school hours. Combined
with the long distances they must travel to school and the need to work before or after classes, these
commitments leave the girls with little time for rest or personal development.
Gender bias is another challenge, as male teachers often display less patience with female students;
therefore, our school does not employ male teachers. Achieving gender equity requires all-girls schools to
include programs focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment. We offer programs emphasizing
vocational training and teacher development, ensuring these programs are effectively implemented and
evaluated. In 2024, we taught courses in sewing, farming, cooking, and arts and crafts. This year, we are
teaching skills such as making soap, briquettes, and clay pots. However, we find many of the students are
losing interest in their learning, indicating that we need to review and improve our educational strategies
to better engage them.
Access to technology is hindered by several factors, including limited availability of hardware and
software, weak or unavailable Internet services, and unreliable power supplies.

Broughton: Can you share how your personal journey of education has shaped your
advocacy for girls’ education?
Momodu: My journey started as a 10-year-old girl in the 1980s, following my mother as she taught at
various public girls schools in Enugu, Nigeria. I later attended the Federal Government Girls College,
Benin City, which provided a diverse body of
students from varied socioeconomic and ethnic
backgrounds.
As a teacher, I taught in many schools in
Nigeria. I saw class enrollment grow from 35 to
80 students, especially in the government-run
schools. I also saw a decrease in girls attending
due to caring for their siblings, hawking goods, or
working on farms before and after classes. These
students became overwhelmed, which often led
them to cheating or dropping out entirely.
In some areas, private schools were overcrowded
and became diploma mills with little emphasis on
learning. Girls often ended up as maids, married
young, or worked as hawkers.

Broughton: What inspired you to
establish the Zaimani’s Girls School?
Momodu: In Patigi, I tried to establish an all-girls
school, but there was resistance. Land availability
was limited, government registration fees were
very high, and the concept of a private girls school Classroom in the school.

16 · Volume 91-4