At an age when many women are enjoying retirement and spending time with their grandchildren, 63-year-old Furera Muhammad has returned to the classroom to pursue the education she was denied as a child.

Furera, who attends an Islamic school alongside some of her grandchildren in Rigafada, Kano State, said she still regrets missing the opportunity to receive formal education during her childhood because girls of her generation were rarely encouraged to attend school.

“I wish I had gone to school when I was young, not now with my grandchildren,” she said, adding that she would likely have become a teacher if she had been given the chance to pursue formal education.

According to her, the lack of educational opportunities for girls during her childhood denied many women the chance to realise their potential and contribute more meaningfully to society.

Despite her age, she said her determination to acquire knowledge remains strong, expressing hope that her experience would inspire parents to prioritise the education of their daughters and encourage girls already in school to remain committed to their studies.

Furera spoke during a community engagement programme organised by the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) in collaboration with the Ford Foundation under the Grannies Network for Change (G-NEC) project in Rigafada. The programme brought together 40 grandmothers to discuss their role in promoting girls’ education and preventing gender-based violence, particularly verbal abuse against women.

The G-NEC project seeks to harness the influence of grandmothers in multigenerational households to encourage positive social norms, promote girls’ access to education and reduce gender-based violence through community dialogue and culturally appropriate messaging.

The initiative is being implemented in selected communities across Kano and Jigawa states to improve awareness of girls’ education, reduce verbal abuse in homes and encourage families to create safer and more supportive environments for women and girls. (Daily Trust)