ASVIOL Spearheads Girls’ School Re-entry Drive In Kaduna

The Anti-Sexual Violence Lead (ASVIOL) Support Initiative has intensified efforts to improve access to education for adolescent mothers and married girls in Kaduna State through the implementation of the Aminiya Initiative, a school-based intervention aimed at supporting school re-entry and retention.

The initiative, supported by the Malala Fund, trains selected teachers as Aminiya Mentors to provide trauma-informed mentorship, psychosocial support, safeguarding, inclusive teaching and referral services for girls whose education has been disrupted.

It comes against the backdrop of persistent gender gaps in education in Northern Nigeria, where UNICEF and UNESCO data have consistently shown that Nigeria accounts for one of the highest populations of out-of-school children globally, estimated at over ten million, with girls disproportionately affected in northern states due to early marriage, poverty, insecurity, and cultural constraints. In Kaduna State, education stakeholders say adolescent pregnancy and early marriage remain key drivers of dropout among girls, compounded by weak reintegration systems and limited psychosocial support within schools.

The Aminiya Initiative introduces a mentorship structure in schools through the training of selected teachers as “Aminiya Mentors.” The mentors are expected to provide psychosocial support, basic safeguarding response, inclusive classroom support, and referral guidance for affected students. According to ASVIOL, the model is intended to strengthen school-level response systems for girls attempting to return after dropping out, particularly adolescent mothers who often face stigma and informal exclusion even where re-entry policies exist.

As part of implementation, ASVIOL convened a two-day stakeholder engagement and validation workshop in Kaduna, bringing together education officials, school administrators, teachers, civil society groups, development partners, and community representatives. Discussions at the meeting centred on the gap between policy and practice in girls’ re-entry into school. Participants identified weak enforcement of existing re-entry guidelines, limited teacher preparedness, inadequate counselling services, and stigma as recurring challenges. They also noted that while policy frameworks exist in several states supporting re-entry for adolescent mothers, implementation often depends on individual schools, leading to inconsistent outcomes.

The workshop further highlighted the need for stronger coordination between education authorities and community structures, particularly in addressing social norms that discourage girls who have experienced pregnancy or early marriage from returning to formal education. ASVIOL founder and executive director, Hassana Maina, said the persistence of dropout among girls reflected gaps in support systems rather than lack of interest in education.

“Too often, what is missing is not the willingness of girls to return to school, but the support systems that make return possible. If a girl leaves school because of life circumstances, then the education system must be structured to allow her return without discrimination,” she said.

Maina, a member of the Hassana Maina and the Malala Fund Education Champions Network (Cohort 8), said the initiative aligns with broader efforts to translate policy commitments on girls’ education into practical school-level support mechanisms. The Aminiya Initiative is expected to run through selected schools in Kaduna State as part of broader efforts to strengthen safeguarding and retention systems for vulnerable learnleaders SVIOL Support Initiative said the intervention will also focus on building referral pathways between schools and support services to address psychosocial and protection needs affecting girls’ education continuity. As Kaduna State continues reforms in its education sector, stakeholders say the effectiveness of school re-entry policies will depend largely on how well they are implemented at classroom and community levels, rather than policy design alone.