United Nations Children Education Fund, UNICEF, has traced the high rate of out of school children challenges in the Northwestern part of the country to poverty, cultural norms and insecurity, and rated Kano and Katsina as the states with the highest numbers.
During a dialogue organized for journalists in Kano and katsina, UNICEF Senior Education manager Mr. Micheal Banda and Muntaka Mukhtar an education specialist, pointed out that a lot of barriers on girls education motivated development partners to release intervention funds.
Meanwhile, a team of journalists visited Ingawa local government area to have an insight on how schools are managed after GEP interventions.
Ingawa local government chairman, Alhaji Labaran Magaji who is also the former desk officer GEP 3 ,spoke extensively on how government had put modalities in place to ensure enrollment in schools.
He pointed out that foreign commonwealth development office FCDO intervention implemented by UNICEF had yielded positive results as schools procure uniforms and learning materials to motivate parents and students.
“it has greatly assisted in enrollment, retention and completion of girls education”
Also speaking,katsina state school based management committee (SBMC) chairman Alhaji Bello Ciroma who doubles as Ingawa SBMC chairman said the program had promoted educational development through capacity building of teachers,grants, infrastructure among others.
He maintained that government has introduced a new system of procuring desks for schools before commencement of learning to alleviate challenges of inadequate chairs and tables for students.
“It has intervened in all aspects of education, capacity building of teachers,grants”
Headmaster of Ingawa pilot primary school,Malam Yahaya Hassan pointed out that the school had witnessed increase in girls enrollment due to FCDO intervention.
” funds received were used to repair floors, doors and windows”
Beneficiaries of haske initiative also spoke to the team on how they were sponsored to undergo NCE programs at Isa Kaita College of education, Katsina.
Saratu Usman, Ramatu Kabir and Hussaina Mamman said they received fifty thousand naira each through UNICEF for three years which enabled them to complete their courses.
Saratu added that, she is currently undergoing a degree program at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, saying that without UNICEF’S support her dreams would not have come true as marriage is no barrier to education.
The FCDO UK initiative implemented by UNICEF, was launched in Nigeria in May 2012 and it has been contributing to education of girls, improvement of their hygiene and providing social and economic opportunities for girls in Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Sokoto, Bauchi and Kano, states, all in the northern part of the country.
KHADIJAH ALIYU