Alikor’s central argument is straightforward: a country cannot achieve sustainable development while a large part of its population remains excluded from quality education and meaningful participation in economic and political life. The article connects women’s education directly with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 on quality education and SDG 5 on gender equality.
Historical Barriers Continue to Shape Women’s Education
The article traces gender disparities in Nigerian education to historical, cultural, political, religious, and economic factors.
Before colonial rule, education in Nigerian communities was largely informal and focused on practical skills, cultural values, social responsibilities, and community life. However, girls and boys were often prepared for different social roles. With the arrival of colonial education, access to formal schooling became increasingly unequal. Missionary schools frequently directed girls toward domestic roles, teaching, and nursing, while boys had greater access to professional fields such as medicine, law, and administration.
After independence, Nigeria introduced several initiatives to expand educational access, including Universal Primary Education and later Universal Basic Education. Alikor notes that these programs expanded opportunities but did not fully address gender-specific barriers such as poverty, child marriage, gender stereotypes, and cultural practices.
The problem therefore extends beyond whether schools exist. Social expectations, household income, security, infrastructure, and attitudes toward girls’ education can determine whether girls enter school, remain in school, and continue to higher education.
Girls Remain Disproportionately Affected
The article highlights several figures to illustrate the continuing education gap.
According to data cited from UNESCO, Nigeria had approximately 10.5 million children out of school, with girls making up the majority. The disparity is particularly pronounced in parts of Northern Nigeria, where early marriage and other social factors have contributed to girls’ exclusion from education.
Data cited from the World Bank and UNICEF also show that gender disparities become more visible as students progress through the education system. Nigeria’s primary-school gender parity index was reported at 0.96, but fell to 0.88 at the secondary-school level. The article also cites 2022 figures showing primary-school enrollment of 70.7% for females and 74.7% for males, while the reported out-of-school rate remained 43.6% for girls compared with 37.9% for boys.
Alikor identifies several factors behind the gap:
- Poverty can force families to prioritize boys’ education.
- Early and forced marriage can interrupt girls’ schooling.
- Cultural expectations can discourage families from investing in girls’ education.
- Insecurity and attacks on schools can prevent girls from attending classes.
- Inadequate sanitation facilities can contribute to girls dropping out.
- Weak implementation and underfunding can limit the effectiveness of gender-related education policies.
These barriers are interconnected. Economic hardship can reinforce cultural preferences, while insecurity and inadequate infrastructure can make continued schooling difficult even when families want their daughters to study.
Education Can Strengthen the Economy and Family Health
Alikor’s analysis shows why closing the education gap matters beyond the classroom.
Quality education can provide women with skills and knowledge needed to participate more fully in productive economic sectors. Greater participation of educated women in the labor market, according to the article, could strengthen economic productivity and contribute to national economic growth.
The potential health benefits are also significant. Education can improve women’s knowledge of sanitation, reproductive health, family planning, and antenatal care. Alikor therefore links women’s education with practices that can contribute to better maternal and child health outcomes.
Education can also influence the next generation. Educated mothers are better positioned to support their children’s schooling, creating a potential cycle in which educational gains are passed from parents to children. Alikor argues that this process can help reduce intergenerational poverty and strengthen human capital development.
Women’s Education Is Also a Leadership Issue
The connection between education and leadership is another major theme in Alikor’s article.
Women with greater educational opportunities are more likely to acquire the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to participate in public institutions and policy-making. The article argues that excluding women from education also reduces their ability to influence decisions that affect education, health, economic development, and gender equality.
This perspective closely aligns with SDG 4 and SDG 5, which call for inclusive quality education, elimination of gender disparities, and women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.
How the Study Was Conducted
Rather than collecting survey responses or conducting experiments, Alikor used a qualitative research design based on existing information. She reviewed academic journals, government reports, policy documents, and publications from international organizations such as UNESCO.
The analysis used a historical approach to examine how cultural, political, religious, colonial, and post-independence factors shaped women’s access to education. The sources were then examined thematically to identify major barriers and their implications for Nigeria’s development.
Because the article is based primarily on historical and secondary sources, its conclusions should be understood as a broad analytical assessment rather than a statistical measurement of the direct causal effect of women’s education on Nigeria’s economy or health outcomes.
Policy Needs to Go Beyond School Access
For Alikor, expanding access to education is only the first step. Policies also need to ensure that girls remain in school, receive quality education, and have opportunities to continue into higher education and vocational training.
The article recommends free and compulsory basic education for girls, stronger laws against gender discrimination and early marriage, expanded scholarship programs, skills training for women in rural communities, and greater participation of educated women in political and policy-making positions. It also calls for data-driven systems to monitor progress toward SDG 4 and SDG 5.
Alikor of Rivers State University emphasizes that the issue should be approached as a national development challenge. Her analysis concludes that improving women’s education can have consequences for household income, health, productivity, civic participation, governance, and social stability.
In an ethical paraphrase of Alikor’s conclusion, women’s education should be recognized as an essential investment in Nigeria’s development because educated women can contribute more fully to families, communities, the economy, and national decision-making.
Author Profile
Oroma Alikor is affiliated with the Department of Educational Foundations, Rivers State University, Nigeria. Her article addresses women’s education, gender inequality, economic empowerment, sustainable development, and women’s participation in leadership and decision-making. The supplied article does not state her academic degree, so no degree is attributed here without supporting evidence.
Source
Article: Women Education and Sustainable Development: Implications for National Development
Author: Oroma Alikor
Affiliation: Department of Educational Foundations, Rivers State University
Journal: Indonesian Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Technology (MARCOPOLO)
Publication: Volume 4, No. 1, 2026, pp. 49–60
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/marcopolo.v4i1.5
Official journal website: https://journalmarcopolo.my.id/index.php/marcopolo
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