Girl-child Education: A Geniune Tool for Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Development

Girl-child education refers to the aspect of education that aims at developing the skill and knowledge of girls and women from all castes, races and backgrounds. In Nigeria, like many other developing countries, girl-child education has often been neglected due to deep-seated cultural beliefs and economic difficulties that cut across the land; from the North to the south and from the East to the West. This paper, therefore, examined girl-child education issues in relation to poverty reduction and development within the setting of Nigerian society. The rampancy, causes, implications and remedies were conspicuously highlighted with deliberate focus on girl-child education as a tool for its reduction as well as enhancing inclusive development amidst the persistent social problems facing the nation. The concept of girl-child education was explicitly discussed. Benefits and challenges facing girl-child education as well as implications for inclusive development were also discussed. The paper observed that Nigeria is still struggling to meet her set target of poverty-free nation despite several governments' efforts on girl-child education. The paper eventually offered appropriate solutions and recommended among others that government should aggressively invest in girl-child education by ensuring that girls and women have access to quality education for the much desired positive impacts on the larger economy and the overall inclusive development of the nation.