Nigeria’s second-chance schools: women balancing study and survival

Key points

• Women in northern Nigeria return to school after years out but must balance childcare, duties, and costs.
• Sokoto, Nigeria – Each time her curious seven-year-old child returned home from school with homework, 28-year-old Habiba Abubakar knew it was time to take him to her neighbour, whom the child called “aunt”, even though they were not related by blood, who had been his saviour every time he wanted to stand in front of his class and receive a standing ovation.
• But that changed in 2021, when Abubakar enrolled herself in the Women Centre for Continuing Education (WCCE) in Sokoto State, northwest Nigeria.
• “I’ve always felt ashamed when Muhammad told me that they’ve been given another assignment,” she told Al Jazeera.
• This frustration, coupled with her enthusiasm for learning English, pushed her to return to the classroom 13 years after she left.