Student mothers barely cope. What can universities do?

In May 2024, Rejoice Edem (not her real name) was seeking admission to pursue her higher education. During this period, her father insisted that she seal her marriage aqd, a contract that formally seals the union under Islamic law. She became pregnant before she secured a university placement.

A few months later, in October, she was offered admission to Osun State University to study chemistry education. Although the pregnancy was relatively easy, everything changed after her baby was born on 15 March 2025.

Although it was exam season at the time, she gave birth during a short break between exams on campus and was taken home later that same day.

“I took my books with me, but I couldn’t study due to sleepless nights taking care of my newborn. I returned to campus four days after giving birth, just a day before my next exam. I had no choice but to write the paper without being prepared, which had an impact on my academic performance. I managed to study for the remaining papers, and with the help of my hostel mates, I was able to get through the exams,” she said.

“Coping as a married, nursing mother and as a student has not been easy at all. There were times when I wanted to study, but nothing would stay in my head because I was so exhausted and sleep-deprived.

“Even when I planned to stay up at night to study, I would end up reading nothing because my baby would also be awake. I couldn’t read, and I couldn’t sleep either. That has been my daily reality up till now,” she added.

Edem’s experience is not unique. According to UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), 40% of Nigerian girls marry before the age of 18, ranking the country third in the world for child marriage prevalence. About 24 million women alive today were married as children.

Official figures of the number of university students who are also mothers could not be obtained, but Sylvanus Ugoh, the chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the University of Abuja said students with babies “are not that many, so there are currently no specific provisions [on campuses] in place for them”.

An investigation by University World News in 2024 into student support services, which also focused on student mothers, found that almost all privately run universities do not admit students who are mothers at undergraduate level and make no provision for campus childcare. Nigeria has 270 universities, 148 of which are private and run either by religious bodies or private individuals.

Administrators at publicly run universities tend to argue that universities are places of academic study, rather than nurseries.

Attending classes is tough

Another student who had been taking care of her son while studying is Peace Ayantade (not her real name). Like Edem, she has also found the experience daunting.

Ayantade, a student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, gained admission in 2019 and got married in August 2022. She became pregnant immediately after her wedding. This phase of her life was not easy. In class, she was uncomfortable during her pregnancy and she struggled to concentrate during her lectures. At times, she had to leave class and return to her hostel.

“When school resumed after the holiday, I couldn’t return because I was close to delivery. I had no choice but to defer a semester. It was devastating. I felt like I was being left behind, and it affected my mental health. I sank into depression, struggling to come to terms with the fact that I wouldn’t be finishing school with my mates,” she said.

“I had my baby in 2023, and returning to school with him was overwhelming. Balancing childcare, self-care, and academics was a Herculean task. Some lecturers were unsympathetic, making it even harder for me.

“I recall a lecturer chasing me out of the lecture hall because my baby cried and forcing me to miss an entire class. The stress and pressure were relentless. I stayed at the school hostel and would leave my child to my hostel mate whenever I had a lecturer who wouldn’t allow me in class with my child.

“My husband is not a student. He is an engineer who lives far from my university [in Ondo State]. I chose to marry him because I love him, but I did not realise how challenging it would be to juggle being both a wife and a student.

“All these challenges had a profound impact on my academic performance. I couldn’t excel as I had before marriage. The weight of responsibility, coupled with the pressure to perform, was crushing at times. I battled depression, feeling as if I was losing myself in the process of becoming a wife and mother.

“I’m still in school now, in my fifth year, and I’m doing my best to keep up with my education, despite everything. It hasn’t been easy, especially raising my baby. I haven’t had another child since then,” she told University World News.

Reacting to the students’ experiences in lecture halls, ASUU’s Ugoh said it was “conventional for lecturers to prohibit babies in the classroom environment because children are generally not taken to the workplace. Bringing babies to class can be a distraction to other students.

“Nursing mothers should take their babies to a crèche, where they can be properly cared for while their mothers attend lectures. This helps avoid disturbances. When students bring babies to class, it not only disrupts others, but also affects their own ability to learn,” he added.

University World News, exploring this in 2024, asked several Nigerian universities what formal services were available.

While one institution said it was considering a crèche in the near future, and some lecturers at one institution allowed mothers to bring their child into class at an institution that also permitted student mothers to use the staff day-care facility, other institutions took a harder line, claiming to be, first and foremost, an academic entity, created to impart knowledge and foster research activities.

An impossible balancing act?

Dr Dideolu Adekogbe, an education expert and lead consultant at Florish-Gate Global Consult, which focuses on management and educational services, affirms that married female students face enormous pressure, workload and burnout. This can even lead to some dying young while others succumb to depression and anxiety as well as substance abuse.

“It’s really a heavy one on female students. Honestly, I don’t advise that to happen to anybody. The cumulative stress of lectures, transportation, lecturers, and home responsibilities takes a toll on their mental health … A decline in academic performance further exacerbates low self-esteem, as they perceive themselves as losers. This mindset makes it impossible for them to accomplish what they need to do.

“The only feasible solution I see is for female students to pursue marriage after completing their undergraduate programmes, perhaps before postgraduate programmes,” she added.

But, she said, there are numerous factors that lead to early marriage, including financial hardship, an unfriendly home atmosphere, peer influence and early pregnancy.

However, the major challenge of early marriage is the strain on financial resources, making it difficult to manage the home, attend lectures and afford necessary textbooks and academic responsibilities. This inevitably leads to financial setbacks that hinder academic progress.

“Another significant challenge is the limited access to campus resources, as married students are often not based on campus and must balance academic responsibilities with family obligations, such as picking up children from school. Moreover, no lecturer accepts children in class, further complicating the situation.

“Early marriage also restricts their ability to mingle with peers on campus, which can affect future opportunities and career prospects.

“Ultimately, these challenges can have a profound impact on students, making it difficult for them to secure a good job after graduation, even for those who are single,” she told University World News.

A need for flexible programmes

To support students who get married early, Adekogbe said there was a need for flexible academic programmes that allow virtual attendance. Nigeria’s tertiary institutions must also improve their use of technology to facilitate this.

Additionally, child care support should be provided in higher institutions, including care centres for students with children. This would alleviate the stress of finding care for their youngsters.

“Counselling and mentoring services would also be beneficial, enabling students to manage their time and lives effectively. This journey requires support, and having someone to walk alongside them can make a significant difference.

“Provisioning of financial assistance would also go a long way. Schools could offer scholarships specifically for married female students who cannot afford to continue their education,” Adekogbe suggested.

She added that community engagement is crucial. The community and the general public need to be educated on the importance of supporting married students with children, recognising that having a family should not mean abandoning one’s education.

Changing the legal marriage age

Oluwakayode Damilola Temiloluwa, the chairperson of National Female Students Association of Nigeria, Ekiti State Chapter, said lawmakers should prioritise raising the minimum age for marriage.

Currently, the constitution states that individuals above 18 can get married, which some parents use as an excuse to force their children into early marriage.

According to her, raising the minimum age to 20 would allow young girls to gain more experience and education. With the current trend of students gaining admission early, by 20, they would have completed their education and National Youth Service Corps programme, making it less likely for early marriage to affect their academic studies, she added.

Work done by UNICEF shows that investing in girls’ education benefits communities.

Educated girls are more likely to delay marriage, enjoy healthier and more productive lives, earn better incomes, take part in key decision-making, and create stronger futures for themselves and their families.

Osun State University and Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, both mentioned in this news report, declined to comment.