When Deborah Samuel addressed participants at the Malala High-Level Meeting on the Potential of Male Engagement and Allyship for Girls’ Education in Nigeria, she didn’t begin with policy recommendations or statistics. She spoke about her father.
She spoke about someone who believed in her dreams, encouraged her to pursue her education, and refused to let limiting expectations define her future. His support did not take away from her resilience or determination, it strengthened them. It reminded everyone in the room that while girls are capable of overcoming extraordinary challenges, their success also depends on the strength of the support system surrounding them.
“Truly it takes a village to raise a child, and a girl’s ‘village’ is incomplete without men who push obstacles to ensure she lives to her full potential.” – Dr. Funom Yakubu, EVA
Every girl deserves the opportunity to learn, dream, and shape her own future. Yet for millions of girls, the path to education is not determined by ability or ambition alone. It is shaped by the choices, beliefs, and expectations of the people around them.
A father deciding whether school fees should be paid. A teacher encouraging, or discouraging, a girl from pursuing science. A community leader speaking out against child marriage or remaining silent. A policymaker choosing whether girls’ education receives the attention and investment it deserves.
These moments may seem ordinary, but together they shape whether girls are able to access, remain in, and thrive in school.
For years, efforts to improve girls’ education have focused, rightly, on empowering girls. From scholarships and mentorship programmes to safe spaces and leadership opportunities, these interventions have helped countless girls realise their potential. But while empowering girls is essential, it is only one part of the equation.
Creating lasting change also requires transforming the environments in which girls live, learn, and grow. That transformation cannot happen without engaging the people who influence those environments, especially men and boys.
Conversations about male allyship are sometimes misunderstood. They are not about shifting attention away from girls or suggesting that men should lead the movement for gender equality. Rather, they recognise an important reality: in many families, schools, communities, and institutions, men continue to occupy positions of influence. The question is not whether that influence exists, but how it is used.
Influence can reinforce inequality, or it can help dismantle it.
A father who insists that his daughter deserves the same educational opportunities as his son, challenges more than a household decision; he challenges a belief that has limited generations of girls. A teacher who actively encourages girls to ask questions, take on leadership roles, or pursue careers in science and technology helps expand what young people believe is possible. A traditional or religious leader who speaks publicly about the importance of educating girls can inspire entire communities to rethink long-held assumptions.
These are acts of allyship.
True allyship goes beyond good intentions. It is not measured by attending a meeting, posting a message online, or agreeing that girls’ education matters. It is reflected in the willingness to confront harmful stereotypes, question unequal expectations, and take meaningful action, even when doing so is uncomfortable.
Being an ally does not mean speaking for girls or making decisions on their behalf. Girls understand the barriers they face better than anyone else. Their voices, experiences, and leadership must remain at the centre of efforts to improve educational outcomes. The role of an ally is to listen, learn, and use whatever influence they have to create space for girls to be heard and supported.
This shift in perspective is important because girls’ education is not simply an education issue. It is a question of equity, opportunity, and accountability.
Communities are accountable for creating environments where girls are safe and encouraged to learn. Schools are accountable for ensuring that every student is treated with dignity and respect. Leaders are accountable for implementing policies that protect girls’ rights and remove barriers to education. Families are accountable for believing in the potential of their daughters as much as their sons.
When accountability is shared, progress becomes possible.
Around the world, there is growing recognition that achieving gender equality requires everyone to be part of the solution. Men and boys are not spectators in this journey. They are fathers raising daughters, brothers growing up alongside sisters, teachers shaping young minds, and leaders influencing decisions that affect generations. Their actions have the power to reinforce harmful norms, or to help build communities where every girl has the opportunity to succeed.
Recognising this, Education as a Vaccine, through its Fostering Accountability for Girls’ Education (FAGE) project, supported by the Malala Fund, is contributing to conversations that encourage shared responsibility for girls’ education. The project reflects a simple but powerful idea: improving educational outcomes for girls is not the responsibility of girls alone. It requires families, communities, institutions, and decision-makers to work together in creating systems where every girl can learn, thrive, and reach her full potential.
The future of girls’ education will not be determined by policy alone, nor by the resilience of girls alone. It will be shaped by the everyday choices people make, in homes, classrooms, community meetings, and government offices. It will be shaped by those who choose to challenge inequality instead of accepting it, who choose to open doors instead of closing them, and who understand that empowering girls benefits everyone.
Because when girls are given the opportunity to learn, communities grow stronger. And when men and boys choose to become allies in that journey, they help create a future where every girl has not only the right to an education, but the chance to fulfil her potential.