MEDIA MILEAGE: The Journey oF Girl Child Education in Nigeria

The power of documentaries to inform, educate, and inspire is quite significant. Documentaries provide a unique opportunity to tell stories that might otherwise go unheard and share perspectives that may challenge and broaden our understanding of the world around us. Recently, we had the privilege of screening a documentary “Breaking Barriers: The Journey of Girl Child Education in Nigeria” at the cinema. We enjoyed understanding and support from Ventura Cinema who offered us a discount to bring in girls majority of whom were visiting a cinema for the first time. The event was covered by five leading Nigerian newspapers, including Thisday Newspaper, Vanguard, VON, Daily Trust, and The Sun. Below are the links:

• Thisday Live Page 33 – Governments Urged to Promote Girl Child Education
• The Sun News Online –  Female students set agenda on girl-child education for Makinde’s second-term in Oyo
• VON – Oyo State: Female Students Set Agenda For Girl-Child Education 
• Daily Trust Newspaper – Government Tasked To Fight Anything Obstructing Girls’ Education
• The Vanguard Newspaper – Girls’ Education: NGO sets agenda for Makinde

With support from Malala fund and our partner YouthHub Africa, we were able to invite 96 participants, most of whom were secondary school students and other stakeholders from Civil Society Organisations, State Actors, Ministry Departments and Agencies.

Our documentary, which explores the lives and experiences of a typical girl in a public secondary school in Nigeria, aims to shed light on the social and economic inequalities that exist in our society. Through personal interviews and poignant footage, we seek to challenge common stereotypes and misconceptions about free education in public schools. Is education actually free in a public school? 

The screening of our documentary covered by these Newspapers was a significant moment for us. It provided an opportunity to share our work with a wider audience and to engage with individuals and political arrowheads who may not have had access to this type of content before. The coverage in both newspapers helped to amplify our message and to raise awareness about the importance of girl child education. 

In Thisday, our screening was featured as part of a broader discussion on the Education Segment of the paper. The article highlighted the importance of implementing policies to promote girl child education, and to create a space for dialogue and debate around important social issues that affect the girl child. 

The coverage in Daily Sun similarly emphasized the importance of our work in promoting enrollment, retention, and completion of girls in secondary school. The article mentioned the comment by the representative of the Ministry of Education that girls have a high intelligence quotient and they have the ability to take on more roles than they are actually assigned. She also stated that when girls are denied education, they are denied the opportunity to showcase their talent and contribute to nation-building. 

The attention generated by our screenings in these newspapers highlights the potential for documentaries to have a significant impact on our society. Documentaries provide a platform for voices that are often silenced or ignored, and they can help to raise awareness about issues that might otherwise be overlooked or dismissed. By presenting a range of perspectives and experiences, documentaries can help to break down barriers and to foster a greater sense of empathy and understanding among viewers.