Kaduna State Government has announced plan in partnership with international agencies, to build 102 new schools and renovate 170 others.
It also said it is set to return 200,000 out-of-school children back to school.
This was disclosed by the Project Coordinator, Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROSC), Ezra Angai who led an advocacy visit to the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Liman Dahiru
The coordinator reiterated the Government’s unwavering commitment to providing quality and affordable education for every child, saying, the State Government has partnered with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Education Above All (EAA), Save the Children International (SCI), and UNICEF to address the pressing issue of out-of-school children.
Explaining that the project is an initiative of the Kaduna State Government to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state, Angai said, the administration of Senator Uba Sani has been particular about education and the need to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
The Project Coordinator while noting that, the initiative would be implemented over a four-year period in across the 23 local government areas of the State, said the specific objectives of the project include, to improve access to quality education through the construction of 102 schools and the renovation of 170 schools.
“The project will further seek to enhance the quality of education through teacher training and capacity building of teachers, as well as the provision of teaching and learning materials to ensure that the children who are returned to school receive quality education. The third objective of the project will be to strengthen the education system itself.”
He said, “The Kaduna State Government has already played a pivotal role in this direction by ensuring that it is probably the first state in the country to allocate 25 percent of its yearly budget to the education sector. This allocation indicates the seriousness that the Kaduna State places on education and impacts directly on the third objective of the project, which is to strengthen the education system to ensure that the budget allocated is properly administered.
“The aim is to ensure that staff in the education sector receive quality training and capacity building to effectively manage the sector and sustain the gains of the project. Overall, the project seeks to return 200,000 out-of-school children back to school.
“During this session, the Majority Leader, who was also in the company of the Speaker, spoke about the importance of the project and aligned herself with it. She mentioned that she runs an NGO responsible for returning out-of-school children back to school and has been doing that for the past 10 years. She expressed her support for the project,” he said.
Responding, the Speaker, Hon. Dahiru said the project is very timely and coming at the right moment, assuring that he and his colleagues will support the project 100 per cent because education is the only thing that can provide value to children in Kaduna State.
The Speaker indicated that the legislature was ready to pass any bill that would support or enhance the return of out-of-school children back to school.
He further stated that his doors were open and encouraged the project team to keep the House informed about everything going on, reiterating that the House was ready to support the project team 100 percent and pass any legislation necessary to help enhance the successful implementation of the project and the return of out-of-school children back to school in Kaduna State.
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