United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB), has enrolled over 1,000 out of school children in a hard-to-reach Farar Kasa community of the Soba local government area of Kaduna State.
The partnership, which was also gathered, will lead to the establishment of a new primary school in the agrarian community, while an adult education programme will also be established for those above school age.
Speaking during the distribution of uniforms and writing materials to the enrolled pupils ahead of the new academic session beginning in September, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Kaduna, Dr Gerifa Birukila, said the closest primary school to the community is 12 kilometres away.
Noting that distance had denied the children of the community access to school, the UNICEF boss disclosed, adding, “A few months ago, when we came here for medical outreach, we discovered that many children who should have been in school were roaming about and when we asked, we were told that the community does not have a school, even though they would like to send their children to school.
“So, we took their request to Kaduna State SUBEB, and we discussed the possibility of bringing a school here, and here we are today.
“This community is hard to reach. So, it is isolated in terms of health, education and others. It is one of the communities that are disadvantaged because of their location. We are very happy that the children will now go to school, which will definitely reduce the number of out of school children in Kaduna State,” she said.
The UNICEF boss, however, called on the community to take ownership of the school project and ensure the children attend school.
She also promised that the Farar Kasa community would be provided with potable borehole water and a medical facility while adult education would be provided for the locals above school age.
Chairman of KADSUBEB, Alhaji Tijjani Abdullahi, commended UNICEF for their consistency in education and healthcare delivery to Kaduna State.
He said KADSUBEB is currently implementing its 2023/2024 projects with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), hoping that funds will be available by December for the construction of the school’s permanent structure to take off in January 2025.
Abdullahi said that KADSUBEB had, in the last four years, built over 2,000 schools. “Now, we will access our UBEC funds for 2024, and we have promised this community that we will build some classrooms here.
“I have also spoken to the local government chairman. Because the local government employs teachers for the primary schools, we are already making arrangements for the teachers who will teach in the school. They will start teaching in the community’s temporary school facility,” he said.
In his remarks, the chairman of the Soba local government area, Hon. Abdulmumini Bawa Gamagira, expressed appreciation to UNICEF and KADSUBEB for the intervention, saying that education is key to development.
The chairman stated that 80% of the challenges facing Nigeria today, especially insecurity, are caused by illiteracy, adding, “If we can overcome illiteracy, 80% of our problems will be addressed.”
He said that the community no longer has any excuse because the lack of school that was the excuse will now be a thing of the past, adding that “we need to cooperate with the UNICEF and KADSUBEB for the success of this project,” he pleaded.
The Village Head of Farar Kasa, Alhaji Habeeb Suleiman, expressed happiness with the school project, saying, “Our children lacked access to school, especially during the rainy season, because the closest school to this community is far away Kusallo.”
The highlight of the occasion was the symbolic distribution of uniforms and other school materials to the over 1,000 school children.
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