GIRL-CHILD EDUCATION AND NIGERIA'S NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: A STUDY OF SELECTED PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ADO-ODO OTA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OGUN STATE

Education is said to be the bedrock of the development of any nation, country or society. That is why it is very crucial to educate the girl-child irrespective of the visible barriers that have over the years pervaded the country, Nigeria. The girl-child education has become a contemporary issue among the nations of the world today, because it is widely argued that, the girl-child who later transforms into a woman is crucial to the education of any nation. This argument is backed up by the adage that says ‘educate the girl-child then you have successfully educated a nation’. It is on this thrust that this paper examines the marginalization of the girl-child and her uneven access to education in comparism to her male counterpart in some selected private and public secondary schools in Ado-Odo Ota Local government area. This study utilizes both primary and secondary sources in collating data. The study reveals that cultural practices and colonial intrusion serve as major encumbrances to girl-child education and that inaccessibility of the girl-child to education makes her vulnerable to early marriage, denial of rights and child labour et.cetera. The study concludes that, if girl-child education is encouraged and pursued, there will be empowerment which will subsequently lead to national development in Nigeria. The study, therefore, recommends that education should be made accessible to the girl-child at all levels and awareness programs at various strata of the society should be organized regularly to elevate the image of the girl-child for national and global recognition.