Apps for Home School that Bridge the Gender Gap in Northern Nigeria

• In Event: Sustaining and scaling community solutions: leveraging ecosystem-appropriate ICTs to enhance social inclusion and achieve learning outcomes

Proposal

The impact of Boko Haram insurgents in has left thousands of women and girls out of school in the Northeast region of Nigeria, further widening the the gap between the number of educated girls and women, and boys and men. This disturbing gender gap has left over 60% of girls and women living in internally displaced person camps, with no change of climbing out of poverty. For self reliance and resilience, education for these girls and women is essential. A focus group discussion with men who do not allow their wives to continue education shows that formal schools are not perceived as safe spaces for women. As it is common for girls to be married as early as age 14 in this region, such decisions, despite how well meaning, leave girls and women with no control over what happens to them. An average adolescent girl will be allowed in school only if she can remain in her husband’s house, creating a barrier to accessing education opportunities. Home school, though underused in Nigeria, has been found to be one of the most effective solutions. Drawing on lessons from Marharantan Islamia Islamic Schools, where married girls continue to receive education in their neighborhoods, home school programs have been developed that leverage the use of interactive learning apps translated into local languages. This technology, along with systematic policies and practices, can be scaled up to reach greater numbers of women and girls. This presentation will explore pilot findings of a home-school program that leverages the use of Hausa and Kanuri-language apps, while also integrating policies and practices that to galvanize the learning process for those learning at home. The presenter will highlight advancements learners made in literacy and math basics, and highlight practices and policies that supported participation and improved learning among women and girls. The panelist will also provide recommendations for how this context-appropriate ICT solution can be prioritized, scaled, and sustained through mobile digital centers that improve learning opportunities for for women and girls.

Author

• Jennifer Agbaji, The Basileia Vulnerable Persons Rights Initiative