How 63-year-old grandmother returned to school with her grandchildren
At 63, Furera Muhammad has returned to school in Kano, inspiring a movement for girls' education. Her story emphasizes the generational impact of denied access to learning.
- Furera Muhammad, 63, enrolled in an Islamic school in Rigafada, Kano State, sitting in class with some of her own grandchildren
- She said girls of her generation were rarely encouraged to attend school, and she regrets missing the chance to become a teacher
- Furera spoke at a community programme organised by dRPC and the Ford Foundation to promote girls' education in Kano and Jigawa states
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Kano State - A 63-year-old grandmother from Kano State has gone back to school decades after being denied a formal education as a child, joining an Islamic school in Rigafada where some of her grandchildren are also enrolled as pupils.
Furera Muhammad said girls in her community were rarely allowed to attend school when she was growing up.
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"I wish I had gone to school when I was young, not now with my grandchildren."
She added that she believed she would have become a teacher had formal education been available to her at the right time.
As reported by Daily Trust, despite being in her sixties, Furera said her drive to learn has not faded.
She expressed hope that her decision to return to the classroom would persuade parents in her community to take their daughters' schooling seriously and encourage girls who are already in school to stay the course.
Why Furera spoke out
Furera shared her story during a community engagement programme in Rigafada organised by the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) alongside the Ford Foundation.
The event was held under the Grannies Network for Change (G-NEC) project.
According to Leadership, the programme brought together 40 grandmothers to discuss how older women can drive positive change around girls' education and gender-based violence, including the problem of verbal abuse directed at women in the home.
The G-NEC project is built on the idea that grandmothers, who often carry significant influence in multigenerational households, are well placed to shift social attitudes in their communities.
By channelling that influence through structured dialogue and culturally appropriate messaging, the project aims to improve girls' access to education and create safer environments for women and girls.
Kano and Jigawa communities targeted
The initiative is currently running in selected communities across Kano and Jigawa states, with a focus on raising awareness about girls' education, reducing verbal abuse within families, and encouraging households to become more supportive of women and girls.
Furera's story sits at the heart of what the project is trying to achieve: showing younger generations, through lived example, that the desire for education has no age limit and that the consequences of denying girls access to schooling can last a lifetime.
Recall that Ben Duamlong, a 70-year-old man, bagged a first-class degree from the University of Jos (UNIJOS).
Duamlong, former Super Eagles assistant coach, was among the 112 students who bagged first-class degrees from the varsity.
The septuagenarian disclosed that he went back to school after he retired as a football coach because of his passion for education.
Mother of 5 returns to school
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that a Nigerian mother made her children proud after she returned to school in a bid to further her education.
The woman, who is a mother of five children, has now graduated from school, and her video has gone viral.
One of her children posted a video of her posing with her money bouquet and other gifts on her sign-out day.
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