JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

Education has been part of human society from the very beginning. Human societies throughout the ages have vested interest in education. In Africa, women are regarded as the weaker sex and are looked upon as people who cannot stand on their own unless they are entrusted to men. What we see in Nigeria is the attitude of the nation. Nigerian society has been patriarchal in nature, which is the nature feature of traditional society. Patriarchy is founded on an erroneous understanding of human nature. With its misguided reading of human nature, it formulates ingrained social norm that privileged the men and disadvantaged women. Mother Charles Magdalen Walker’s vision to uphold the right and dignity of women is one of the most elating of the events of her era. Women were under the stringent traditional, social, and cultural structures before her arrival to Calabar. The dominance patriarchy coupled with discrimination against women placed Calabar women under unfavourable conditions. Being regarded as second hand citizens, mother Mary Charles Magdalen Walker in imitation of Jesus’ esteem for women set out to raise their status. She knows that the essence of physical, intellectual, social and psychological well-being of women, she therefore adopted approach that would help promote their dignity and this she did through education. Education was one way to lift women and bring about positive attitude that could mobilize untapped ingenuity in them for societal change. Mother Mary Charles Magdalen Walker’s missionary activities in promoting the rights and dignity of women through education was clear demonstration of one who believed that every creature of God deserved a right to personal, communal, environmental and transcendental well-being. However, it is pertinent to state that Mother Mary Charles Magdalen Walker has willingly and effectively contributed in promoting the dignity of women in Calabar-Nigeria. Consequently, her contributions cannot be undermined. Her prophetic vocation was nowhere more evident than in her creative imagination made manifest in her ability to foresee and respond to the situation in southern Nigeria (Calabar) where girls were deprived of their rights to education. Hence, the focus of this work is to recognize the immeasurable successful educational contributions of Mother Mary Charles Magdalen Walker in promoting the rights and dignity of women in Calabar South Eastern Nigeria.