JALINGO – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office, said it was working with Taraba Government to provide 63,000 school-age children with basic education
Alhaji Muntaka Mukhtar, the Education Secretary of the Fund, stated this at the end of a five-day training for Centre-Based Management Committee (CBMC) members in Jalingo on Thursday.
CBMC was set up by UNICE to execute its projects in select communities in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 100 persons were selected from five local governments in Taraba for the training.
Mukhtar explained that UNICEF had set up 25 centres in Gassol, Lau, Zing, Kurmi and Donga local government areas.
The councils have the highest population of out-of-school children in the state.
He said that the programme would be executed through the Fund’s Integrated Quaranic Schools TSANGAYA Education Centres.
“We have trained four persons each from the 25 centres across the five councils, comprising three men and one woman.
“They are expected to train 13 persons in each of the centres.
“We have identified 10 primary schools – five junior secondary schools, five Quaranic schools and three nursery schools – in each of the selected councils for the programme.
“Taraba Government will pay N10,000 monthly to the facilitators who will teach English, Mathematics, Hygine, General Knowledge and Hausa language at the centres,’’ he said.
Mukhtar said that the programme would provide them with access to teaching and learning.
Mr Obadiah Andrew, the Assistant Director (Foreign/NGO), Taraba Mass Education Board, urged the trainees to ensure realisation of the programme’s objectives.
He lauded UNICEF for assisting the state in tackling illiteracy in the area. (NAN)
