GIRLS ARE HUMAN : EDUCATION IS MORE BEAUTIFUL IN THE HEAD OF A WOMAN.

GIRLS ARE HUMAN

In 2014, World leaders converged at the United Nations headquarter, to open a new global road map to curb challenges facing humanity tagged: "Sustainable Development Goals", a continuation of the previous "Millennium Development Goals", after its expiration. The goals which were sets to help combat global epidemics, include, but not limited to, quality education, and gender equality.
Education, accordingly, has been conceived to mean a process of facilitating knowledge, training, etc. Gender equality on the other hand imply, a process where both sexes of male and female are given an equal opportunity to showcase their potentials, in all fields of human endeavour. Unfortunately, quality education, nor gender parity has been achieved. Interestingly, the two concepts has something in common, which is, giving a girl child an  opportunity to quality education, likewise her male counterpart.
The importance of girl child education, cannot be overemphasized. This is because, education directs the mind on what to do, how, and when to do it. if a girl child is properly educated, chances are, that she is bound to think in the right proportion, thereby, mitigating some of the societal ills plaguing our society such as, early unwanted and unprepared teenage pregnancy, involvement in hard drugs, and other vices engaged in by the girl child. Again, she would also be able to stand among her male counterparts, thereby, bridging the gender disparity gap.
Away from that, the role of any girl child in national development, cannot be underplayed, as the girl child has the vast potential to contribute in upturn the economic fortune of any society. It is in recognition of this, that the United Nation has tagged this year's International Day for Girl Child thus: "Girls' Progress=Goals' Progress." It is a reminiscent of the popular saying "when you educate a man, you educate an individual, but when you educate a woman, you educate the world", and also, "education is more beautiful in the head of a woman." It is so because, a woman, nay girl, is the home maker, she spends more of the time with the children. In this case, if a woman is not educated, what is the fate of the children?
Premised on the foregone, the UN made a bold step to ensure a proportion between the two gender, of male and female, to show the ontological synonymity among them. But, it is unfortunate, that, women are still victims of an artificial world of patriarchy, where a woman is seen as a lesser being, with inferior qualities, and made to suffer injustice such as wife battery, verbal abuse, rape, forceful, and underaged marriage, physical assault, and other forms of misogynistic statements, occasioned by a male dominated society. Today, as the world stand to celebrate, and recognize the inestimable importance of a girl child, I join millions in celebrating another brand of human, the female species, one of the most unique creatures of God. I also challenge the girl child to rise up to the challenge ahead of her, and see herself as a unique creation of God, with potentials to create a positive trend for others to follow. Let us support a girl child, we owe them that allegiance!
Happy International Girl Child Day!

Comr. Edu Etukakpan
Media Consultant/Public Affairs Analyst