Girl-Child Education and Entrepreneurship in Nigeria

Abstract. In Nigeria, girl-child education has been facing a number of challenges such as early marriage and economic hardship. That fewer women apply for entry to universities is a result of their being fewer girls completing secondary education and this problem has its roots in primary school. In the context of an evolving market-oriented, competitive and private-sector driven economy, corporate capitalism and globalization, education is expected to produce women that are versatile enough to acquire competitive positions as well as generate their own employment. However, the schools are often characterized by outmoded operational processes and management structures which are largely incapable of producing female entrepreneurs with the capacity to generate ideas and to turn such ideas to profitable and emotionally satisfying ventures through perseverance and hard work. Education for women and girls therefore, should aim at reversing the trend of gender discrimination by ensuring full empowerment of women in the true sense of raising their status.Keywords. Education, Entrepreneur, Competitiveness, Paradigm shift, Girl-child, Gender.JEL. D71, D74, D79