a2. Difficulties encountered: Despite Niger‟s legal arsenal on non discrimination, disparities are noticeable in the areas of education and health. In some regions of the country, access to education and healthcare is not equitable. The enrolment rate in urban areas is higher than in the rural and nomadic zones. It should also be noted that the enrolment rate is higher for boy than for girls. Also, more men are literate than women. What accounts for this disparity is the reluctance of parents to enrol girls in school for socio-cultural and economic reasons. In rural area, parents have a poor perception of school, especially for girls. According to them, school leads more to the girl-child‟s acculturation than to her instruction. Their apprehensions are further buttressed by the out-of-wedlock pregnancies contracted by girls during schooling and the drop-out rate. Also worthy of note is the fact that girls constitute a work force within the family. They participate in household chores and engage in petty trading to put together funds with which to buy their marriage outfit. Achievements and progress made: The State was not indifferent to this situation. Remedial measures were taken. A law on orientation of education in Niger was adopted in March 1998, as a means of ensuring that everybody had equal opportunities of access to education. The same law made enrolment compulsory for all children aged 4 to 16 without distinction as to sex, religion, social background and racial or ethnic origin. Furthermore, a Ten-Year Education Development Programme (PDDE) was implemented for the 2003-2013 period. The government, in collaboration with development partners, took measures to bridge the gap between girls and boys through the National Action Plan (NAP). A nationwide awareness campaign was launched through the media to convince parents to enrol girls in school. In the nomadic zone, the High Commission for the Restoration of Peace contributed to the level of enrolments obtained. A decisive factor was the presence of women in policy-making positions in the administration (ministers, MPs, mayors and service heads) and the adoption of the law on quotas. The involvement of traditional rulers in the sensitization effort backed by UNICEF helped to increase enrolments generally, especially those of girls whose rate rose from 30% in 2001 to 47.4% in 2007. (MEN statistical directory, 2007) This sensitization was bolstered by the following concrete actions: - The creation of a Technical Unit for the Promotion of Girl Enrolments (CTPSF) within the Basic Education Sector Project (PROSEF) in 1996; 12