Kaduna State government has announced plans in partnership with international agencies, to build 102 new schools, renovate 170 others and return 200,000 out-of-school children to school.
The project coordinator, Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROSC), Ezra Angai who led an advocacy visit to the House of Assembly yesterday, reiterated the government’s commitment to provide quality and affordable education for every child.
Angai said the government had partnered the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Education Above All (EAA), Save the Children International (SCI) and UNICEF to address the pressing issue of out-of-school children.
Explaining that the project is an initiative of the government to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state, Angai said the administration of Governor Uba Sani had been particular about education and the need to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
The project coordinator while noting that the initiative would be implemented over a four-year period in across the 23 local government areas of the state, said the specific objectives of the project include, to improve access to quality education through the construction of 102 schools and the renovation of 170 schools.
Angai said, “The aim is to ensure that staff in the education sector receive quality training and capacity building to effectively manage the sector and sustain the gains of the project. Overall, the project seeks to return 200,000 out-of-school children back to school.
Responding, the Speaker, Hon. Dahiru Liman, said the project was very timely and came at the right moment, assuring that he and his colleagues would support the project 100 per cent because education is the only thing that can provide value to children in Kaduna State.