Jamila Mohammed Dahiru, The Bauchi Lady Who Wants To Have Every Child In School

Worried by the unimpressive statistics about out-of-school children in Bauchi, the governor, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir Kauran Bauchi, isn’t leaving things to sour. He has gone afar with the bid of nipping in the bud the abysmal reference; recently, he made a young educational enthusiast a commissioner in charge of the education ministry. Feelers dubbed the appointment as one of the smartest moves in addressing the imbalance in education in Bauchi. The young lady who possesses a knack for modern solutions to problems comes from the university. Gifted with an excellent grasp of issues, Jamila Mohammed Dahiru presents a reality of purpose. Her age is an attraction to other young girls in the state, her gender speaks to the reality of modern concerns, and the zest at her disposition is what 21st-century cutting-edge decisions require.

Dahiru has a demonstrated history of working in the education industry. Before her appointment as the Honorable Commissioner Bauchi state Ministry of Education, she was a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, a College Principal at Saidu Abubakar Memorial School Kaduna, and an English teacher at Nunu International School Kaduna, Ibn Abbas Academy and Al’iman schools Jos Plateau state. She also served as a policy and communication consultant with various development partners and international organizations like USAID, FCDO, UNDP, MIT, Open Contracting Society and Reboot among others in Education, Health, and Good Governance projects. 

Jamila holds a Bachelor, Masters and Ph.D. (In- view) degrees in Mass Communication from Bayero University Kano and Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and respectively. A Postgraduate Diploma and Doctorate Degree in Education from the National Teachers Institute Kaduna and Commonwealth University College. She also has a certificate in Leadership and Management from London Graduate School, certificate in Leadership Strategy and Development from African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development, certificate in Research from French Institute for Research in Africa, certificate in Policy and Development  Studies from Centre for Human Rights Faculty of Law University of Pretoria/UNESCO, Department of African Studies John Hopkins University among many others. 

Jamila has published more than 20 articles and chapters in the academic journals and books. Her most recent publication is the ‘Kaduna OGP Co- creation story’ which was globally circulated as presented at the 2022 OGP Global Summit in Ghana by the Kaduna State Government. 

Through her NGO – WeCare Foundation, she ardently creates awareness, sensitizes and advocates for access to public health, education and provision of enabling environment for young adolescents to thrive. 

Indeed, Jamila is really living to her bidding given the acceptance that has greeted her reforms since her appointment. She goes to homes, families, and communities selling the message of education for every child in Bauchi state. She believes that education is a tool that provides comparative advantage to a nation. With a clear understanding of the place of education in nation building, her vision is to see that Nigerian state governments invests heavily in education to ensure qualitative, accessible and inclusive education to all citizens. 

Understanding the critical role of relevant stakeholders in improving education, the Honorable Commissioner revived consultation with the critical stakeholders such as traditional rulers, community leaders, parent and teacher’s associations, professional bodies, School Management Board Committees among others. She pushed and made case for the establishment of the Bauchi state Education Committee which will be critical in education sector sensitization, monitoring, advocacy and accountability for proper implementation and sustainability of education projects and programs for the benefit of all. 

As part of her effort to ensure quality of education in the state, she re-introduced mandatory biweekly assemblies, conduction of continues assessments and repeating low performing students in schools. She also empowered the quality assurance unit of the ministry as well as Education Secretaries across the state LGA’s to enhance close monitoring, management and administration of schools.  

There has been more responsibility and initiatives from the staff of the ministry like never before. This is as a result of the introduction of weekly Directorate meetings and report updates from Heads of Directorates among others. 

In a bid to ensure continuity and smooth transitioning of all indexed SS3 students in schools across the state as well as concern about the high level of out of school children and school drop outs in the state, Jamila made a push for payment of sponsorship & payment of bursaries such as senior secondary external examinations and JAMB for all indexed students of public schools across the state. This is against the usual method of payment for only selected students, which was believed to have caused discontinuation of studies by some students in the state. 

More development partners and international organizations are showing interest to partner, collaborate and support the education sector in the state now more than ever. This is evident looking at how the existing development partners in the state are stretching to take provide support beyond their mandate for the purpose of contributing to the education sector of the state; the expansion of UNICEF funding to include girl child education, release of more funds for the Ministry to conduct a more robust and all-encompassing annual school census to name a few. 

Understanding the importance of education policy formulation and adaptation/domestication, Jamila was able to justify its relevance and secure a commitment of USAID – LEARN to Read to provide technical support for the domestication of major education policies in the state. This will surely enhance the quality of education and provide conducive environment for learning in the state. 

Her yearnings for more collaboration and investments in the education sector also led to the initiation of an education sector summit, which she has pushed and has gotten subsequent approval and buy-in of development partners. 

Indeed the people of Bauchi state have never been fortunate to have a damsel that speaks to the yearnings and aspirations for a better Bauchi education sector than now.