By Muhammad Bashir
Dutse – The National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) in Jigawa, has reiterated its support to quality girl-child education in the state.
The commission’s Director of Quality Assurance and team leader in Jigawa, Mr Akin Akinyosoye, disclosed this on Wednesday in Dutse.
He was speaking at the ongoing 6-day advocacy, sensitization and mobilization campaign to improve nomadic girl child education in the state.
Akinyosoye said that the commission had discussions on the programme with critical stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and Agency for Nomadic Education.
He named some of such stakeholders to also include Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Nigeria Partnership for Education Project (NIPEP).
He said issues discussed with the stakeholders include the strengthening of policy framework and inclusion of nomadic schools in all the state intervention projects.
Akinyosoye listed the projects as school feeding programme, deployment of female teachers, provision of required school infrastructure and instructional materials.
“Also discussed is increasing access and equity for nomadic children especially the girl child in terms of enrollment, attendance, progression, completion and transition, as well as mobilization of the nomads for adult literacy, especially the women,” he said,
He disclosed that the team covered 10 nomadic communities and schools in five local government areas of the state namely; Dutse, Birninkudu, Jahun, Gumel and Auyo.
According to him, key emerging positive developments noticed are significant increase in pupil’s enrollment, attendance, completion and transition in nomadic schools.
“Daunting challenges of nomadic girl child education in the various communities and nomadic schools visited include out of school, incessant drop out, early marriages and low transition to secondary schools among nomadic girl child,” he said.
The team leader added that all the stakeholders promised to continue to support the Nomadic Education Program (NEP) in the state, especially the provision of quality basic education for sustainable development in the nomadic communities.
Akinyosoye said the exercise was a step down of the NCNE’s three-day Advocacy, Sensitization and Mobilization Workshop on the Promotion of Nomadic Girl Child Education held in Minna, Niger state between Jan. 7 and Jan.11.
He added that “the NCNE has embarked on a step down of the activity in six states, including Jigawa from Jan. 13 to Jan 19.’’