A non-governmental organisation, the Malala Fund, says nearly 120 million girls remain out of school worldwide, out of which 8. 5 million are adolescents.

The fund revealed this in its annual report of activities from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, made available to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to the report, girls, especially those in low-income countries, drop out of school at higher rates as they get older and transition to secondary school.

It said that there were barriers to girls’ access to education in Nigeria through its policies and budgets, thus frustrating their completion of 12 years of education.

“In Nigeria, barriers such as hidden school fees, policies that only guarantee nine years of free education and decreasing education budgets keep girls from completing 12 years of school.

“Additionally, safety concerns loom large in schools with incidents of student kidnapping, and 44 per cent of adolescent girls reporting experiences of physical and sexual violence inflicted by teachers and or classmates,” it said.

According to the report, in addressing the situation, the fund and its partners advocate for legislative changes to ensure 12 years of free education for all Nigerian students.

“We have pushed for the government to fulfil its commitment to allocating four per cent of Gross Domestic Product and 22.5 per cent of the national budget to education by 2025.

“We also support organisations that advocate for policies and deliver programmes to make schools safer for girls,” the group said.

The report listed factors that significantly restrict girls’ access to free, safe and quality education, including the reversal of progress on gender equality, strained education budget, and increased conflicts and climate shocks.

It stated that the fund invests in and builds a network of education advocates, champions holding leaders accountable, and helps to develop the next generation of future leaders.

The group said that, while marking its 10th  anniversary, highlights of its activities included drawing global attention to gender apartheid in Afghanistan and expanding the global right to free education to 12 years.

Others include advancing and tracking gender equality in all through education and increasing financing for girls’ education.

Malala Fund said it had invested 56.2 million dollars since it was established in 2013 and had reached more than 21 million students through the various programmes of its grantees.

It also said that, over the last decade, it awarded more than 400 transformative grants to partners who were breaking down the barriers to girls’ education.

On her part, the executive chairman of the fund, Malala Yousafzai, noted that most governments were not spending enough finances on education, as the stakes could be higher.

She said that in Afghanistan,  the Taliban had made girlhood illegal, banning girls from attending school past grade six for more than 1,000 days.

“Girls living under war and conflicts from Palestine to Ukraine are unable to learn as their schools are destroyed and normal life is upended,” she said.

The Malala Fund was founded in 2013 by Malala Yousafzai and Ziauddin Yousafzai.

The fund is committed to pursuing a future where every girl can access and complete 12 years of free, safe and quality education.

(NAN)