The Kaduna State Government has made a commitment to supply sufficient school furniture, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, as well as other amenities, to promote school enrolment and retention in public primary schools.
The assurance was given by Alhaji Tijjani Abdullahi, the Executive Chairman of the Kaduna Basic Education Board (Kaduna SUBEB), during a one-day awareness campaign on the enrolment of out-of-school children in the state, held in Kafanchan.
The campaign was organised by Kaduna SUBEB under the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) program, which is supported by the World Bank. Represented by Malam Kabiru Lawal, the acting Director of Social Mobilization, Abdullahi also mentioned that the government is actively working on enhancing school security and improving teachers’ capacity for effective teaching and learning. He urged the School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) to take action, especially in providing WASH facilities if needed, while awaiting government intervention.
The enrolment campaign aims to mobilize various stakeholders to assist the government in identifying and enrolling out-of-school children found in streets, motor parks, farms, houses, markets, and other locations. Mrs. Josephine Michael, the Desk Officer of BESDA at Kaduna SUBEB, emphasized the importance of ensuring that every child receives a quality education, and called on stakeholders to support the government’s efforts in addressing the issue of out-of-school children to foster the development of human capital in the state.
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The Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme, initiated by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) with support from the Federal Ministry of Education, was designed to tackle the problem of out-of-school children.
The programme, which began in 2019, received a $611 million loan from the World Bank, with the Federal Government granting it to 17 participating states with the highest number of out-of-school children.
Malam Magaji Mohammed, the Community Participation Officer at Kaduna SUBEB, urged stakeholders to strengthen advocacy and awareness efforts to ensure that no child is left behind. He acknowledged the government’s efforts to provide necessary facilities in schools, allowing children to learn in accordance with the state’s policy of free and compulsory basic education.
Local community stakeholders from Jema’a, Kaura, Zangon Kataf, and Sanga Local Government Areas of the state commended the government’s initiatives to enroll out-of-school children and recommended improvements in school security, as well as the provision of adequate school furniture and WASH facilities.
Mr. Peter Owaze among them, expressed that the availability of school furniture and other amenities would encourage children to enroll and stay in school, while Mr. Ango Arkilawus highlighted the challenges faced by some teachers and students who lack proper toilet and water facilities, forcing them to resort to makeshift spaces in the vicinity of public schools.
