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| Male teachers interacting with students in a girls’ school, highlighting the debate over safeguarding, professionalism and the role of men in girls’ education. |
LAGOS — Let me start with this.
I love education. I love teachers. I have male teachers I respect till today.
But when it comes to girls’ schools, I have one question: Why take the risk?
Our daughters are not an experiment. They are not a place to “test balance” or “prove a point.” They are children. Teenagers trying to grow, learn, and become women without fear.
And because of that, I believe men should not be the ones teaching in girls’ schools. Not as a rule. Not as a daily thing.
Here’s why.
THE TRUTH ABOUT POWER IN A CLASSROOM
A classroom is not an equal place.
The teacher has power. The students look up to the teacher. They want approval. They want good grades. They want to be liked.
Now add that to teenage girls. Ages 11 to 17. This is the age where girls are figuring out who they are. Their bodies are changing. Their emotions are everywhere. They are asking big questions about life, boys, family, and themselves.
In that moment, a male authority figure carries a lot of weight.
For most men, that power is used well. They teach, they guide, they leave.
But it only takes one man to misuse it. One wrong comment. One “extra lesson” after school. One hand on a shoulder that stays too long.
And the damage from that one man lasts a lifetime.
I’m not saying all men are bad. I’m saying the risk is too high. And our girls deserve a place where that risk is zero.
WE’VE SEEN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BOUNDARIES BREAK
Let’s not pretend.
Every year we hear stories. Not just in Nigeria. Everywhere.
Teacher and student.
Coach and athlete.
Mentor and mentee.
It starts small. “She’s like a daughter to me.” “I’m just helping her.” “No one will understand her like I do.”
By the time anyone notices, a girl is already hurt. Confused. Ashamed. And sometimes pregnant. Sometimes traumatized.
Schools will say “we have policies.” No closed doors. CCTV. Background checks.
But real life is not policy.
Real life is a girl who didn’t understand a maths question and stayed back.
Real life is a teacher who offers to drop her home because it’s raining.
Real life is a quiet conversation in the staff room when everyone else has left.
Are we going to put a female teacher in the room every single time? No.
So the loopholes will always be there. And girls will pay the price.
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GIRLS DESERVE TO FEEL 100% SAFE TO LEARN
Think about it from a girl’s side.
You’re 14. You have cramps. You have questions about your body. You’re being bullied. You failed a test and you’re scared.
Who do you run to?
In a girls’ school with female teachers, you run to Aunty. To Miss. To someone who has gone through what you’re going through.
Now imagine the only person available is a man.
Will you tell him about your period? About the boy pressuring you? About the anxiety you feel?
Maybe. But most girls won’t. They’ll keep quiet. And keeping quiet means keeping problems.
Education is not just about formulas and grammar. It’s about feeling safe enough to ask questions. To make mistakes. To be vulnerable.
Girls learn better when they don’t have to filter everything they say because a man is listening.
THE “WE NEED MEN FOR STEM” ARGUMENT DOESN'T HOLD
This is the one I hear the most.
“But who will teach Physics? Who will teach Computer Science? There are no female teachers.”
If that’s true in 2026, then that’s our failure. Not the girls’ problem.
We cannot tell our daughters: “We couldn’t find a woman, so we’re bringing a man to teach you.”
That teaches them that women can’t do hard subjects. That men must always come to “save” the class.
The real solution is to fix the pipeline.
Give scholarships to girls to study Engineering.
Train women in STEM and pay them well.
Hire female coaches for sports.
Promote female principals and administrators.
Other countries are doing it. We can too.
“Not enough women” is not a reason. It’s an excuse. And our girls are paying for it.
CULTURE, RELIGION, AND PARENTAL TRUST MATTER
Nigeria is not one country with one culture.
Many parents send their daughters to girls’ schools for a reason. In many Muslim families. In many Christian families. In many traditional homes.
The reason is simple: we want our girls to grow without male pressure, male gaze, and male influence until they are mature enough to handle it.
When you put male teachers in those schools, you break that agreement.
Parents will lose trust. And when parents lose trust, they pull their children out. Or they stop investing in education.
Is that what we want? Girls out of school because we insisted on a policy that makes parents uncomfortable?
Education works when parents, schools, and community trust each other. Let’s not break that.
WHAT ABOUT GOOD MEN?
I know good men. My father is a good man. My brothers are good men.
This article is not an attack on men.
This is about systems. About prevention.
We put railings on balconies not because we expect everyone to fall, but because if one person does, the fall is fatal.
The same logic applies here.
Most male teachers will never harm a student. But we are building a system for the worst-case scenario, because the cost of that scenario is too high.
It’s like airport security. 99.9% of people are not terrorists. But we still check everyone. Because we can’t afford to miss the 0.1%.
WHAT A SAFE GIRLS’ SCHOOL SHOULD LOOK LIKE
If we are serious about protecting girls and educating them well, this is what it looks like:
1. FEMALE TEACHERS FROM PRIMARY TO SECONDARY
Especially in boarding schools. Women who can teach every subject. Women who can be role models in Science, Maths, Leadership, and Sports.
2. INVEST IN WOMEN
Government and private organizations should fund girls to study STEM. Pay female teachers better so the job attracts the best. Create teacher training colleges focused on women.
3. MALE ROLE MODELS THE RIGHT WAY
Men are still important. Fathers, uncles, and male guest speakers should come for career talks, entrepreneurship classes, and mentorship programs. But they should not be the ones with daily authority over girls in a classroom.
4. STRONG SAFEGUARDING LAWS
For the few co-ed schools or exceptions, we need laws: mandatory police checks, mandatory female chaperone for any interaction, and immediate dismissal for any boundary crossing. And parents must give written consent.
THE EMOTIONAL COST WE DON'T TALK ABOUT
People talk about grades. About WAEC results. About university admission.
Nobody talks about what happens inside a girl when she feels unsafe.
A girl who is scared of her teacher stops asking questions.
A girl who gets inappropriate attention starts dressing to hide.
A girl who is groomed starts blaming herself.
Even if nothing “physical” happens, the emotional weight changes her.
School should be the place where she laughs the loudest. Where she argues in debate. Where she fails a test and tries again without shame.
We rob her of that when we ignore the environment.
OTHER COUNTRIES ARE RETHINKING THIS TOO
This is not a Nigerian-only conversation.
In the UK, US, and Middle East, many single-sex girls’ schools prefer female staff. Not by law, but by policy. Because they’ve learned from lawsuits, from scandals, from parents pulling out.
They realized that “equality” does not mean “sameness in every room.” Sometimes equality means creating spaces where girls can thrive without extra complications.
We can learn from that.
THE HARD QUESTION FOR SCHOOL OWNERS
To every school owner reading this: Be honest.
Are you hiring male teachers because they are the best for the job?
Or because they are cheaper?
Or because “that’s how we’ve always done it”?
If it’s the second two, then you are putting money and tradition above girls’ safety.
And that is not leadership.
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON'T CHANGE
If we continue like this, two things will happen.
One: We will keep hearing stories. Some will go public. Most won’t. But the girls will carry them.
Two: Parents will lose faith. They will take girls out of school. Or they will choose homeschooling. Or they will send them abroad.
And then we’ll wonder why girls are “falling behind.”
We don’t have to get there.
A FINAL WORD TO PARENTS AND EDUCATORS
To parents: Ask questions. Who is teaching your daughter? What are the school’s policies? Can you walk into any class unannounced? If the answer is no, ask why.
To educators: I respect you. This job is hard. But if you truly care about girls, support systems that protect them even from the few bad actors.
To policymakers: Make it a priority to train and employ women teachers. Fund it. Enforce it.
CONCLUSION
So is it good or bad for men to teach in girls’ schools?
For me, the answer is clear. It’s a bad risk.
Not because men are evil.
But because girls are precious.
We don’t gamble with precious things.
Let girls’ schools be fully for girls. Let them be led by women. Let them be a place where a girl can grow without fear, without doubt, without having to watch her back.
There will be time later for her to work with men, to learn from men, to lead men.
But in school, let her just be a student. Safe. Free. Focused.
That’s all we’re asking.
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By Solomon Emmanuel | ZpotHub News
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