I would say it has been a hefty responsibility. As a deputy vice-chancellor, I have been reporting to the vice chancellor and at times, deputising in… - Saadatu Hassan Liman

The point here is that quitting education has never been an option in our family. It is a duty for all of us to perform. That is the reason many of us in the family are second degree holders. Here, I would like to acknowledge the enormous role played by my parents, especially my father, towards educating all his children. I pray for Allah to reward them with Jannatul Firdaus for their noble deeds.

However, there are a number of factors that have perhaps constituted hindrances to the realisation of the expected target. Examples of such factors are poverty, early marriage, insecurity and other cultural factors. Nevertheless, we are certainly moving; change is eminent, though slow.

With this kind of background, it is not difficult for me to further my education and develop my career with the help of my husband and my parents, but we should not take their understanding for granted. I must say that with an understanding family, what seems to be difficult is made manageable. Throughout my studentship, I was also blessed by giving birth to four children; during my undergraduate and master’s. I delivered the fifth during my PhD studies. I started work only after securing my PhD admission, so that gave me a leverage to be mostly at home for my children at their early growing periods.