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Community-Led Education and Girls' Access to Schooling in Nigeria: Historical Legacies, Cultural Constraints, and Pathways to Empowerment

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Title: Community-Led Education and Girls' Access to Schooling in Nigeria: Historical Legacies, Cultural Constraints, and Pathways to Empowerment
Language: English
Authors: Ibeakamma Chinazaekpere Ugochinyere, Moses Kargbo, Xiulan Wan
Source: African Educational Research Journal. 2026 14(1):208-227.
Availability: Net Journals. 25 Akintola Road, Sapele, Delta State, 331107, Nigeria. e-mail: service@netjournals.org; Web site: https://www.netjournals.org/aer_index.html
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Access to Education, Cultural Influences, Barriers, Student Empowerment, Gender Bias, Intervention, Enrollment, Academic Persistence, Social Attitudes, Community Involvement, Equal Education, Religious Factors, Program Effectiveness, Educational History, Social Capital, School Based Management, Marriage, Acceleration (Education)
Geographic Terms: Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone
ISSN: 2354-2160
Abstract: This study examines the role of community-led education initiatives in expanding girls' access to schooling in Nigeria, with particular attention to the northern regions where gender disparities in education remain most pronounced. Drawing on a qualitative synthesis of thirty-one program evaluations, policy reports, and scholarly studies, the paper investigates how locally embedded interventions influence enrolment, retention, and broader social perceptions of girls' education. The analysis focuses on initiatives such as school-based management committees, mothers' associations, peer-led clubs, and religious partnerships that operate at the intersection of community structures and formal education systems. The study is guided by three complementary theoretical perspectives: intersectional feminist theory, social capital theory, and ecological systems theory. Together, these frameworks allow the analysis to move beyond descriptive accounts of program outcomes and instead examine the social mechanisms through which community engagement reshapes educational participation. Evidence from the reviewed programs suggests that community actors often play a crucial mediating role between state policy and household decision-making. Where trusted local institutions endorse girls' schooling, enrolment gains are more likely to occur and, in some cases, to persist. Yet the findings also reveal important limitations. Increased access does not always translate into sustained participation or economic empowerment. Structural constraints such as poverty, early marriage, insecurity, and weak institutional capacity continue to shape educational trajectories for many girls. In several cases, educational gains remained fragile once external funding or program support diminished. The paper argues that community-led education initiatives represent a necessary component of efforts to address gender disparities in schooling. However, their long-term impact depends on broader institutional support. Policies that integrate community participation into education governance, strengthen adolescent retention mechanisms, and link schooling to viable livelihood pathways may offer more durable progress toward educational equity.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1502597
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Community-Led Education and Girls' Access to Schooling in Nigeria: Historical Legacies, Cultural Constraints, and Pathways to Empowerment
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ibeakamma+Chinazaekpere+Ugochinyere%22">Ibeakamma Chinazaekpere Ugochinyere</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Moses+Kargbo%22">Moses Kargbo</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Xiulan+Wan%22">Xiulan Wan</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22African+Educational+Research+Journal%22"><i>African Educational Research Journal</i></searchLink>. 2026 14(1):208-227.
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  Data: Net Journals. 25 Akintola Road, Sapele, Delta State, 331107, Nigeria. e-mail: service@netjournals.org; Web site: https://www.netjournals.org/aer_index.html
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  Data: 20
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Access+to+Education%22">Access to Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+Influences%22">Cultural Influences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Barriers%22">Barriers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Empowerment%22">Student Empowerment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+Bias%22">Gender Bias</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intervention%22">Intervention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Enrollment%22">Enrollment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+Persistence%22">Academic Persistence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Attitudes%22">Social Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+Involvement%22">Community Involvement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Equal+Education%22">Equal Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Religious+Factors%22">Religious Factors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Effectiveness%22">Program Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+History%22">Educational History</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Capital%22">Social Capital</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Based+Management%22">School Based Management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Marriage%22">Marriage</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Acceleration+%28Education%29%22">Acceleration (Education)</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nigeria%22">Nigeria</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ghana%22">Ghana</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sierra+Leone%22">Sierra Leone</searchLink>
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  Data: 2354-2160
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  Data: This study examines the role of community-led education initiatives in expanding girls' access to schooling in Nigeria, with particular attention to the northern regions where gender disparities in education remain most pronounced. Drawing on a qualitative synthesis of thirty-one program evaluations, policy reports, and scholarly studies, the paper investigates how locally embedded interventions influence enrolment, retention, and broader social perceptions of girls' education. The analysis focuses on initiatives such as school-based management committees, mothers' associations, peer-led clubs, and religious partnerships that operate at the intersection of community structures and formal education systems. The study is guided by three complementary theoretical perspectives: intersectional feminist theory, social capital theory, and ecological systems theory. Together, these frameworks allow the analysis to move beyond descriptive accounts of program outcomes and instead examine the social mechanisms through which community engagement reshapes educational participation. Evidence from the reviewed programs suggests that community actors often play a crucial mediating role between state policy and household decision-making. Where trusted local institutions endorse girls' schooling, enrolment gains are more likely to occur and, in some cases, to persist. Yet the findings also reveal important limitations. Increased access does not always translate into sustained participation or economic empowerment. Structural constraints such as poverty, early marriage, insecurity, and weak institutional capacity continue to shape educational trajectories for many girls. In several cases, educational gains remained fragile once external funding or program support diminished. The paper argues that community-led education initiatives represent a necessary component of efforts to address gender disparities in schooling. However, their long-term impact depends on broader institutional support. Policies that integrate community participation into education governance, strengthen adolescent retention mechanisms, and link schooling to viable livelihood pathways may offer more durable progress toward educational equity.
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    Languages:
      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 20
        StartPage: 208
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Access to Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cultural Influences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Barriers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Empowerment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gender Bias
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Intervention
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Enrollment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic Persistence
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      – SubjectFull: Social Attitudes
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      – SubjectFull: Community Involvement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Equal Education
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      – SubjectFull: Religious Factors
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      – SubjectFull: Program Effectiveness
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      – SubjectFull: Educational History
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      – SubjectFull: Social Capital
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      – SubjectFull: School Based Management
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Marriage
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Acceleration (Education)
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      – SubjectFull: Nigeria
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      – SubjectFull: Ghana
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      – SubjectFull: Sierra Leone
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Community-Led Education and Girls' Access to Schooling in Nigeria: Historical Legacies, Cultural Constraints, and Pathways to Empowerment
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