Kano Grandmother, 63, Enrolls in School to Study Alongside Her Grandchildren
- Furera Muhammad, a 63-year-old grandmother from Kano State, enrolled at an Islamic school in Rigafada to pursue the education she never received as a girl
- She attends lessons alongside several of her grandchildren and hopes her decision will change how fathers view the education of their daughters
- Furera shared her story at a community event under the Grannies Network for Change project, which works to promote girls' schooling across Kano and Jigawa states
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At an age when many women are content to watch the next generation flourish from a distance, Furera Muhammad has chosen to sit among them in a classroom.
Source: UGC
The 63-year-old grandmother from Kano State recently went viral after she enrolled at an Islamic school in the Rigafada community, where she now studies alongside several of her own grandchildren.
Her reason is straightforward: she was denied a formal education as a girl, and the weight of that loss never left her.
"I wish I had gone to school when I was young, not now with my grandchildren," Furera said, acknowledging the bittersweet nature of her journey.
She added that, given the opportunity earlier in life, she believed she would have become a teacher.
Why Furera Muhammad returned to school
Girls in northern Nigeria of Furera's generation were rarely encouraged to attend school, and she was no exception to that deeply entrenched norm.
For decades, she carried what she described as a quiet grief over the schooling she never received.
Her story is not hers alone. Furera has spoken of entire generations of women whose capabilities went unrealised because education was simply not considered a priority for daughters.
Despite the unconventional circumstances of sitting in a classroom at 63, she says she remains fully committed and hopes her courage will inspire fathers to reconsider how they approach the schooling of their girls, and encourage those already in school to persist.
The Facebook post below shares more details about the 63-year-old Nigerian grandmother who has returned to school to pursue her education.
The G-NEC project driving change in Kano
Furera shared her experience at a community engagement event organised by the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), in partnership with the Ford Foundation, as part of the Grannies Network for Change, known as the G-NEC project, in Rigafada.
The gathering brought together 40 grandmothers to explore how older women can leverage their social standing within multigenerational households to improve outcomes for girls.
The G-NEC initiative is built on the understanding that grandmothers hold significant cultural influence, and that this influence can be channelled towards promoting girls' access to education and reducing gender-based violence, including verbal abuse within homes.
The project is currently active in selected communities across Kano and Jigawa states, working to shift cultural norms and open wider conversations about the value of educating girls.
For Furera Muhammad, the classroom is no longer a place she associates with a missed past. It has become the future she is only now beginning to build.
Source: Facebook
Lil Win delivers inspiring school graduation speech
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghanaian actor and musician Lil Win earned widespread praise online after footage of him delivering a speech in fluent English at his school graduation went viral.
The clip, which spread rapidly across social media, showed the Kumawood star standing before guests, lecturers and fellow graduates, dressed in full graduation attire, as he carefully read through a prepared speech.
He remained composed and confident throughout, drawing applause from those in attendance.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
