Favour Uroko

Biography

I hold a PhD in Religion and Cultural Studies from the Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Prior to this, I earned a Master of Arts in Religion and Cultural Studies and a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours, both from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

I am actively engaged in teaching and research in the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies at UNN. My research interests include, but are not limited to, Religious Studies, Sustainable Development, Gender Studies, Ethics, Theology, and African Studies.

Project Information

Project Title: Assessing Girl Child and Women Education in Crisis-Affected Regions in Northern Nigeria: The Place of Smart Schools and Cities

During my fellowship at LAHRI, I will be examining how digital innovation and smart education initiatives can improve access to quality education for girls and women in regions affected by armed conflict, displacement, and insecurity in northern Nigeria. Northern Nigeria continues to experience educational disruption due to insurgency, banditry, and communal violence, with girls and women disproportionately affected through school closures, displacement, early marriage, and limited access to learning opportunities. The project will investigate the potential of smart schools and smart city frameworks to strengthen educational resilience in these contexts. It will assess existing policies, digital learning platforms, infrastructure, and community-based initiatives that support inclusive education for vulnerable populations. The study will use data from primary and secondary sources. The research will identify barriers to implementation and highlight best practices that can inform sustainable educational development.

The University of Leeds offers an ideal environment for this research because of its internationally recognised expertise in education, digital technology, gender studies, and sustainable development. During this virtual fellowship, I intend to collaborate with my mentor and make use of the library databases and resources available to me. The fellowship will produce a high-quality journal article, conferences paper, which may also serve as a policy brief for educational stakeholders in Nigeria and as a foundation for future collaborative research among me, my mentor, and the University of Leeds. The project will provide evidence-based recommendations for leveraging smart education technologies to enhance educational access, equity, resilience, and empowerment for girls and women in crisis-affected communities in Northern Nigeria.

My Mentor: Dr. Winnie Bedigen