In the Northern-Nigeria the Muslim-Hausa culture is prevalent and the reason that many young girls do not attend public school. One in five girls attend primary schools and after that they are confined by their strict cultural practices. One of these practices includes early marriage: the average age of marriage is 12 years old but many girls get married before then (the onset of puberty). Because of practices like “Kurdah” which is the seclusion of married women as prevention of them being “showed off”, mothers must stay inside while their young girls sell at markets and get home preparations together for their mothers. For these mothers, their young boys are allowed to get educations while their girls carry the burden of anything the mothers cannot do because it is outdoors. The new son in laws also can contribute to the house work which is another reason that mothers try to deter their daughters from schooling and push them towards marriage. Once a bride is married her education means nothing (316). The under value of women in Northern Nigeria is stifling to these girls because their lives are dedicated to marriage from a young age.
For the girls allowed to attend school, school is still viewed as disruptive to the traditional Muslim way of life because girls would be outside of the house where they are expected to stay. The general distrust of public-schooling comes from a suspicion towards western education and the “moral laxity” of the schools. There are separate schools for Muslim students but many parents are reluctant to send their daughters there in fear that they will become too smart or decide not to get married. Parents are afraid to send their daughters to school because it interferes with the marriage age and can make the daughter less desirable.
The main focus of primary education in Northern Nigeria is towards boys while girls are busy prepping for marriage from a young age. Unlike the girls of rural Pakistan, there does not seem to be a strong focus on health or child-rearing, in fact, the two were rarely mentioned in “Religious, Social and Economic Factors Hindering the Education of Girls in Northern Nigeria.” Instead, the focus for young girls in Northern Nigeria is to stay secluded and proper in their faith while preparing for marriage. Schooling is the enemy in this objective.
