Perturbed by the persistent figure of out-of-school children in Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnerships with critical stakeholders have embarked on a number of revolving innovative strategies to tackle the trend.
Given that Katsina is one of the states with the highest number of girls not going to school, the UN agency adopted Girls’ Education Project 3 (GEP3) which is aimed to get school-age girls to school without neglecting boys’ enrollment.
The GEP3 which was implemented by UNICEF in Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Bauchi, Kano and Niger states with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK is already making significant impact with over 300,000 girls of school age been enrolled in schools in Katsina, according to findings.
That’s notwithstanding, through its support to School-Based Management Committees (SBMC), LEADERSHIP gathered that communities have automatically become stakeholders and are actively participating in the management of public schools in their environments in partnership with government for judicious and timely cogent actions.
UNICEF keyed into supporting SBMCs following a directive from the National Council on Education in 2005, mandating all schools to establish committees to ensure local communities participate in the school decision making process.
A visit at Abukur Model Primary School, Rimi local government area of Katsina by our correspondence, it was found that the activities of School Based Management Committee in the local government, in terms of sensitising the general public about importance of girl-child education, advocacy visits to community stakeholders with a view to do away with misconception about education of female children is yielding positive results in terms of increase of girl child’s access to primary education.
This does not only improve the quality of education at local level, but is bringing communities; parents, non-parents, teachers, school children and governments under one umbrella for synergy towards addressing challenges in the education sector particularly funding, infrastructure and service delivery rather than waiting solely on the government.
The chairman of SMBC, Abukur model primary school, Dr Surajo Abubakar Dalhat told our correspondent that the committee is getting support from UNICEF to attain success.
“We have received so much training on how to mobilise the parents, how to mobilise the general community to not only send their wards to school but also to see that those who are out of school, especially the Almajiris are back in schools.
“There are a lot of Almajiri children that we keep enrolling in the school and there are ample examples of also the out of school children that are back in schools.
“Also through the efforts of the SMBCs we have a special committee on that. We go to the village heads, we also use the Imams and the Mallams to mobilise the community in bringing back their children to school and of course, trying to let the remain in school, complete and of course transit to higher level.
“So this process of course yielded very positive results in this school. In regards to structures UNICEF comes in through school improvement grants, we usually have a routine in the school that every year we have our school based development plan.
“So any intervention from UNICEF or any individual we follow the plan. In that regard we were able to fence back of the school, the toilet, and to also enhance security of the school.
“And through the effort of the SMBCs we were able to provide boreholes that provide water to the community of over 2000 population,” he said.
Despite the success, he said a lot needs to be done to address the issues. “In regards to Almajiri, UNICEF came out with Integrated Quranic Education (IQE) but the schools picked by UNICEF are not enough. So we need more intervention in these Quranic schools so that the children there will be groomed to have an interest in formal education. Another is that we are seeing the impact,” Dalhat added.
The head teacher of Abukur Model Primary school, Rimi, Hayatu Buhari Gidado, in an interview with our correspondence said it is recording a significant increase in the number of girls since UNICEF intervened.
He said, “In the 2010/2011 academic session, the school had a total of 852 boys and 670 girls.” However, this figure changed in the 2021/2022 session with girls surpassing boys with a figure of 1392 boys and 1490 girls.
Meanwhile, the Kano field Education Officer of UNICEF, Muntaka Mukhtar, stated during a three-day training on girls’ education with journalists, said more than 300,000 girls of school age have been enrolled in schools in Katsina through the Project.
Mukhtar, said, the project, through community campaign, peer support to girls and family negotiation, has improved the attitude of residents towards girls’ enrolment and completion of schooling.
“Since 2012, 210 head teachers have acquired knowledge and skills on school management, hold professional development meetings with staff and provide pedagogical leadership. The project has also improved teachers’ capacity to ensure they deliver effectively.
“Foundational learning has also been boosted through the early learning, literacy and numeracy, approach with a focus on teaching a community,” he said.
Mr Mukhtar added that 180 Girls for Girls groups were created in 60 junior secondary schools across six participating local government areas in the state while more than 500,000 still out of school despite the success story.
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