Intersecting Barriers to Girl-Child Education in Northern Nigeria: A Critical and Feminist Assessment of Sustainable Development Goal 4

Abstract

Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting opportunities for lifelong learning for all by 2030 are the objectives of Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The driving principle of SDG 4 is to provide a transformative, inclusive, and equitable education that serves as a foundation for personal and societal development. However, the intersection of religion and culture complicates the realisation of the SDG 4 goals in Northern Nigeria, where religious and cultural beliefs are intertwined, reinforcing each other and creating barriers to education. Using critical discourse analysis, this study examines how language and power dynamics shape the discourse around education in the region. Through the lens of intersectional feminism, the investigation seeks to develop an in-depth understanding of how different forms of marginalisation can exacerbate and magnify one another, creating unique vulnerabilities that cannot be addressed with generic solutions for girl-children in Northern Nigeria. Findings highlight significant obstacles to girls’ education in the area, including religious and cultural customs like early marriage, religious fanaticism, religious practices like purdah, and gender inequalities. The study emphasises the need for a multifaceted approach that includes national orientation, curriculum development, and compulsory education to improve girl-child education in the region.