16,260 out-of-school girls to get education incentives in Bauchi

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A total of 16,260 girls in Junior and Senior Secondary Schools in Bauchi state are to enjoy conditional cash transfers to motivate them to attend classes and graduate under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project.

The AGILE Project is a World Bank-assisted project of the Federal Ministry of Education geared at improving secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls aged between 10 and 20.

The Bauchi State Project Coordinator of AGILE, Dr Jamila Dahiru made this known during a breakfast meeting with Media Executives held in her Office on Saturday.

She explained that each of the girls in JSS 1-3 will be given the sum of N5,000 while those in SS 1-3 will receive the sum of N10,000 every term in order to encourage them to always return to school until graduation.

Dahiru also explained that there will be a digital education programme in order to empower them with a skill which will be useful to them in the future.

According to her, the AGILE project is aimed at doing things differently in order to achieve an improved education sector through effective and efficient learning processes in a conducive environment.

She stressed that the project is to assist students who have dropped out of school due to economic issues to have the chance to go back to school and complete the second stage of education.

Dahiru, however, stressed that the target is the poorest of the poor who do not have any means of payment of school fees and other requirements just as she said that mechanism has been put in place to determine those that will qualify.

Apart from boosting enrollment of the girl child in school, the AGILE project will ensure that the standard and quality of education do not decline but rather improve greatly as teachers will be motivated and well equipped to impart knowledge on the students.

The AGILE Project Coordinator explained that the set objective will be achieved under component one of the project which is ‘Safe and accessible learning soaces’ comprising new space learning in secondary schools, improving existing infrastructure (school improvement), teachers recruitment and employment for new schools.

Also, the second component which is ‘fostering enabling environment for girls’ under which promoting behavioural change through communication campaigns, engagement with traditional rulers and advocacy, providing girls with critical life skills and knowledge for navigating adulthood and digital literacy at all learning platforms as well as providing financial support to poor households under the conditional cash transfer.

She added that the third component of the project is ‘system strengthening and project management’ which is where the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) team must be very active including the technical and community through the School Base Management Committees (SBMCs) for the implementation of the project.

There is also the system for sustainability and national strategy for girls as well as providing data for EMIS and other things that will make the project successful in the state.

According to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, there is accountability in the execution of the project because it is community-driven and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) monitored.

He expressed confidence that having the four drivers in place, the project will achieve its set objectives in Bauchi state assuring that all the stakeholders will be carried along to all the sites of the project across the state.

According to him, “We will be doing things together, so, let us be partners in progress for the success of the project.”

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