UNICEF Lauds Jigawa’s 30% Budget Allocation To Education

United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF ) has commended the Jigawa state government for allocating 30 per cent of its 2024 budget, which significantly helps address out-of-school children and improve the state education sector.

The UNICEF Chief of Field Office Kano, Mr Rahma Rihood Mohammed Farah, made the commendation while answering questions from newsmen during the annual review of UNICEF activities in the state, particularly in the key areas of its intervention, held in Dutse capital.

Mr Farah, who was represented by the Senior education manager of the UNICEF Kano field office, Mr Michael Banda, said that UNICEF, in collaboration with Jigawa state, has made significant progress in the areas of Hygiene and Sanitation, Water supply, child nutrition, and tackling the high rate of maternal and child death in the state.

He also stated that, in the year under review, they succeeded in enrolling hundreds of out-of-school children back into formal classrooms in collaboration with the state government.

According to Unicef, the Jigawa state government’s commitment to allocating resources and ensuring their judicial use yields fruitful results, which is very encouraging.

“For the year 2025, UNICEF intervention will also continue to focus on these key areas, with additional emphasis on supporting Jigawa to improve learning outcomes, particularly at the basic education level, enhance child immunisation coverage and sustain the achievement in tackling open defecation.”

“Our review meeting involves key stakeholders from the intervention line ministries and agencies in the state, different desk officers from UNICEF, and media and other critical stakeholders.”

“We are happy with political will, and since the commitment demonstrated by the Jigawa state governor Malam Umar Namadi and another Government official in all our engagement throughout the year under review, this is very encouraging, and we hope they will sustain the tempo”.

During the meeting, issues around the policy and projects were discussed, and different submissions were made on how to improve and ensure the program’s implementation avoids any complicity with good norms and vultures of society.