From Isa to Sabon Birnin, Gudu to Gada Local Government Areas, constant terrorist invasions have made primary education, especially for girls, a near impossibility.
More than two dozen communities across Sokoto State have become silent graveyards of learning, where chalkboards are empty, classrooms are abandoned, and the future of young girls hangs by a thread.
From Isa to Sabon Birnin, Gudu to Gada Local Government Areas, constant terrorist invasions have made primary education, especially for girls, a near impossibility.
In some villages, there are no schools. In others, the few schools that once existed are now deserted, some overtaken by wild grasses, while others have been repurposed by insurgents as operational bases.
The violence, which has driven families from their homes and shuttered schools, has brought an educational crisis to the forefront in the state. It is a crisis that threatens not only the educational rights of children but also their future in a society that is increasingly valuing knowledge and skills.
Amina’s Story: The Lost Dream of Education
Amina is a 14-year-old girl from the village of Garin Fadama. Before the insurgents began their rampage through her town, Amina was a bright student with dreams of becoming a doctor.
Her father, Ibrahim, worked hard to ensure that Amina, the eldest of his five children, attended school regularly.
“Amina was very eager to learn,” Ibrahim recalled. “She would wake up early to prepare for school. She was always at the top of her class.”
But all of that changed one morning when gunmen stormed Garin Fadama. The attackers shot at random, terrorising the residents.
Schools were quickly shut down, teachers fled for safety, and the community was forced to relocate to a nearby town. This attack occurred barely four years ago, and it brought Amina’s education to an abrupt halt. Since then, she has not returned to the classroom.
Ibrahim explained: “When the gunmen attacked, it was impossible to think about school. We fled, leaving everything behind. Now, Amina has not been to school since then.”
Today, Amina spends her days doing chores at home.
She said: “I miss my school and my friends. I want to go back, but the school is not open. Our teachers also stopped coming because it is not safe. So the children are already moving and growing without formal education like me, because we don’t know when we will go back to school.”
Amina’s dream of becoming a doctor seems farther and farther away with each passing day. Her situation is not unique. In many of the villages affected by terrorism, girls like Amina are left with no educational options.
“There are no schools to go to,” says Fatima, a mother from Surdubu. “The terrorists have taken everything away. Our children, especially our girls, have been deprived of their future.”
The closure of schools impacts all children, but girls are disproportionately affected. In societies where cultural norms, economic factors, and early marriage already hinder girls’ access to education, school closures worsen the situation. This creates a vicious cycle that perpetuates gender inequality and poverty.
25 Communities Without Access to Schooling For Girls
Findings by SaharaReporters show that hundreds of girls and boys living in about 25 communities in Sokoto State currently lack access to primary education due to the ongoing threat of terrorism in their areas.
In the Isa Local Government Area, formal education has completely collapsed. Communities such as Garin Fadama, Gebe, Surdubu, Lugu, Dan Zanke, Kalage, Garin Maza, Arume, Dan Fako, Kamarawa, Tafkin Fili, Tsaika, Tungar Maidabo, Tungar Duduwa, Tsullawa, Manawa, Kagara, Gwalama, Dan Adama, and Dan Gwandi have been entirely cut off from the educational system.
“Wallahi, since the attacks started, nobody talks about school again,” said Bello Isa, a respected community elder from Kalage.
“We only pray to survive the day. Our children have become herders and hawkers, not by choice, but by fear,” he added.
Bello’s words reflect the grim reality faced by these communities, where survival has become a daily struggle, and the future of education seems uncertain.
The crisis extends beyond Isa, also affecting Sabon Birnin Local Government. Here, residents reported that villages like Dan Kware, Garin Idi, Garin Bature, Taka Tsaba, and Kiratawa are also facing similar hardships.
In areas like Isa, the impact of the insurgency has been devastating. Schools, once lively centres of learning, are now abandoned, and the children who should have been in these classrooms wander in a world that has little regard for their future.
The story is the same across Gudu, Gada, and other border communities. Hundreds of schools have been shut down indefinitely, leaving thousands of children, especially girls, without access to education.
The violence and fear that have swept through these regions have rendered schools unsafe, forcing children out of classrooms and into a harsh and uncertain world.
Education, once a beacon of hope, has been dimmed by the forces of terror and insecurity. For the children in these communities, a future without education seems inevitable unless urgent action is taken to restore their access.
More Woes For Girls
The challenges girls face in Sokoto go beyond just disrupting their education. In many parts of Sokoto, girls are often considered secondary to boys in terms of educational priorities.
Traditional norms and practices dictate that girls are expected to help with household chores, get married early, and have children. Education, in many instances, is seen as unnecessary for girls, particularly in rural areas where patriarchal systems still hold sway.
When the security situation worsened, the result was catastrophic for girls. Without schools to attend, girls became more vulnerable to early marriage. Many were forced into marriages with older men, a fate they would have likely avoided had they continued with their education.
In some instances, families, overwhelmed by insecurity and the need to protect their daughters, opted to marry them off early to avoid the dangers posed by the terrorists.
In addition to early marriage, the absence of schools also means that girls have fewer opportunities to engage in constructive activities.
Many are left without access to the necessary educational resources, which leaves them susceptible to exploitation and abuse.
Girls from displaced families, living in temporary camps or makeshift homes, often face a life of uncertainty, with no clear future ahead of them.
Solution: Comprehensive Gender-Responsive Education Sector Plan (ESP)
The development of a comprehensive education sector plan (ESP) that integrates gender-responsive education sector planning (GRESP) principles is one of the most effective ways to address this educational crisis in Sokoto and other conflict zones in northern Nigeria.
A GRESP-driven ESP ensures that gender is embedded in every stage of education planning, from needs assessments to budgeting, implementation, and monitoring. This means understanding the specific barriers that prevent girls from accessing education, including school-based gender violence, lack of sanitary facilities, and societal expectations around domestic responsibilities.
This plan would enable the government and other relevant authorities to focus on the specific needs of girls, particularly in areas affected by conflict.
The assessment of the state sector operation plan for the years 2023 to 2025 reveals that the government has identified several strategic initiatives aimed at addressing these pressing issues
Among these initiatives are the training of personnel from 25140 Basic Schools, as well as School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) and community representatives, on the implementation of the Security Measures Manual, explicitly designed for schools. This training is set to take place over three years, emphasising the importance of safety in the educational environment.
A plan has also been put in place to construct perimeter fences around 120 public primary schools within the same three-year timeframe. This measure is designed to enhance the security of these institutions and create a safer learning environment for students.
Moreover, the government plans to train security personnel on safety protocols, with the objective of reaching 2000 primary schools across the state. This initiative aims to ensure that every school has a trained security representative, further bolstering the safety measures in place.
All of these strategic plans have been scheduled for implementation by the government within the designated period from 2023 to 2025, reflecting a committed effort to improve the safety and security of educational environments in the state.
Findings, however, show that little to no efforts have been made by the state government in this direction, as thousands of schoolgirls in terror-ravaged communities in the state still lack access to quality education.
More importantly, the current plans do not reflect a gender-responsive lens. While fencing and personnel training are crucial, they fall short without a corresponding focus on girls’ specific needs, including their physical and emotional safety, their economic disadvantages, and their roles in households that often prioritise the education of male children over females.
For any meaningful change to occur, the Sokoto State Government must urgently revise its ESP to integrate GRESP principles fully. Policymakers must shift from reactive and generic interventions to intentional, evidence-based strategies that prioritise girls’ education.
This revision should involve conducting gender audits of existing plans, allocating resources specifically for girl-focused initiatives, and setting up systems to monitor gender-related outcomes in schools.
All attempts to obtain a response from the Sokoto State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ahmed Ala, and the Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Abubakar Bawa, were unsuccessful.
They did not answer repeated phone calls and have yet to respond to follow-up messages seeking their reactions to our findings.
This report was published with collaborative support from ImpactHouse Centre for Development Communication and System Strategy and Policy Lab (SSPL).
Source: SaharaReporters