Stakeholders Push For Increased Budget On Girls’ Education In Kano

Education stakeholders in Kano state have continued to push in their effort to create gender-responsive budgeting as they validated a framework to create an inclusive education budget for the state.

Speaking to journalists shortly after a validation session for the Gender Responsive Education Budgeting (GREB) framework, organised by Bridge Connect Africa Initiatives (BCAI), with funding from Malala funds, the chairperson of the framework committee who is also the state’s coordinator, girls education, Hajiya Amina Alqassim, disclosed that, the committee discovered gaps in terms of gender disparity and are working towards ensuring equitable allocation of resources by making the state’s budget gender-responsive.

According to her, such gaps include social and cultural norms and values and infrastructural deficits, among others. The committee found that, out of the 30 science and technical board secondary schools in the state, only one was specifically for girls.

“Likewise, it’s the same thing with the Kano state Quranic and Islamiya management board because they have 13 Tsankaya secondary schools, and only one is for girls in the state.

“This time around, we want to ensure we address them, and we want to do a lot of advocacy”.

While restating the state government’s commitment to moving the education sector forward, Hajiya Alqassim called on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to form more partnerships to ensure a gender-responsive budget.

Mohammed Bello, the lead consultant for BCAI on the BAGE Project, noted in his presentation that the GREB framework developed for the education ministry and its sub-sectors would help enhance gender responsiveness regarding budgeting for education in the state.

He explained that the framework would help close the disparity gap and address the issue of transition and completion rate so that the girl child would have more opportunities to maximise her potential as an individual and as part of her fundamental rights.

Earlier in her welcoming remarks, BCAI’s Chief Operating Officer, Fatima Musa, said the meeting’s objective is to collectively review and validate the GREB framework, ensuring it meets the needs and aspirations of the Kano state government and its partners.