FCT pledges to enhance education access for IDPs

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting access to education for displaced persons particularly children in the territory.

The Deputy Director, FCT Education Secretariat, Gender Unit, Uduakobong Umossoh, gave the assurance at a sideline interview of the Project orientation and Partners Meeting hosted by Stand With A Girl Education Project in Abuja.

Stand With A Girl Initiative, Kicked off the Stand With A Girl Education Project (SWAGEP) in Karonmagiji with an orientation meeting for partners and stakeholders. This project seeks to equip 60 girls aged 10-19 with literacy, numeracy, and life skills with funding support from the Emerging Market foundation(EMpower).

The program, which will benefit out of school Girls in Wassa and Karonmagiji IDP Camps, is designed to promote girls’ education, empowerment, and social change.
This is a critical step by SWAG Initiative towards creating a more equitable society where girls have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

While speaking further, Umossoh, said the FCT is working to ensure that all children, including those in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, have access to quality education.

“We have established centers for literacy and continuing education programs, which can provide educational opportunities for children in these camps.”

Umossoh, noted that one of the major challenges faced by IDPs is the lack of access to secondary education. She however, explained that the FCT has put in place measures to address this challenge.

“We have centers that offer continuing education programs, which can provide equivalent education to junior and senior secondary school,” she said.

Umossoh, also highlighted the FCT’s efforts to promote education for displaced persons adding that the FCT’s policies and programs are in place, and partnerships with organizations are crucial in supporting these efforts.

“The FCT’s commitment to increasing access to education for displaced persons is a step in the right direction. However, more needs to be done to ensure that all children, regardless of their circumstances, have access to quality education.

Umossoh also acknowledged the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in supporting the FCT’s efforts to promote education for displaced persons.

“We appreciate the support of NGOs and CSOs in providing educational opportunities for displaced persons.”

“The FCT’s efforts to promote education for displaced persons are also in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all.” She added.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of Stand With a Girl initiative, Margaret Bolaji-Adegbola, while speaking on the efforts to support FCT to bridge academic gaps in IDP camps, said the project has commenced engagement with girls at internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Wassa and has extended its reach to Karonmajigi.

She disclosed that the organization’s goal is to support girls through safe spaces to gain smooth transitioning from being out of school to becoming enrolled into conventional schooling systems. Through these safe spaces, girls are able to gain literacy and numeracy skills, and acquire vocational skills that can be helpful to them in their community.

She emphasized that the organization is committed to ensuring that girls have a safe space to learn and grow, and that they are able to take leadership positions in their community.

Margaret Bolaji-Adegbola, noted that the organization’s advocacy efforts are focused on ensuring that girls have access to free education, as mandated by the government. However, she acknowledged that despite this policy, many girls are still unable to access education due to various challenges, including lack of infrastructure and resources.

She appealed to the government and partners to commit to salvaging the situation, which she described as “terrible.”

In response to a question about the organization’s focus on girls, despite the fact that both boys and girls are out of school, the Executive Director SWAG Initiative, explained that while the organization’s primary focus is on girls, it also recognizes the importance of supporting boys.

She noted that the organization engages men and boys in its advocacy efforts, as it believes that it takes the entire community to create change.

She also addressed the challenge of language barriers in working with displaced girls, many of whom may not speak English fluently. She explained that the organization’s mentors are able to communicate with the girls in their local language, Hausa, and that the curriculum is also translated into Hausa.

“The organization’s work is also aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

She emphasized that, “no girl should be left behind because she’s internally displaced or she finds herself in a situation that she never even called for herself.”

Earlier, the Program Coordinator for SWAG Initiative Education Project (SWAGEP), Victory Bunmi Abraham, reiterated that the launch of the project in Karonmajigi community is aimed at enhancing the livelihood, education, and health of out of school Girls in internally displaced persons (IDP) Camps.

“The project seeks to address the alarming number of out-of-school girls in Nigeria, with over 18.3 million children out of school, 60% of whom are girls.”

“The project will empower 60 out-of-school girls ages 10-19 Karonmajigi and Wassa IDP Camps with literacy, numeracy, and life skills, as well as provide vocational training opportunities.

The life skill sessions will address topics on Communication, financial literacy, negotiation, collaboration, leadership, advocacy, personal hygiene and Menstrual Dignity, Mental Health and etiquette amongst others.

The girls will also be exposed to real life experiences through excursions to business ventures, health facilities and an institution of higher learning. Additional, the vocational skills this girls will acquire will help them cater for their needs and make meaningful contributions to the economy.

“The project will run for one year, with six months of safe space mentoring and three months of vocational skills training.”

“The safe space mentoring will take place in a designated area within the IDP camp.

“The vocational skills training will be facilitated by experts, and the girls will have the opportunity to choose what skills they want to learn. The project will also work closely with community leaders to ensure sustainability.”

The ultimate goal of the project is to empower girls to speak for themselves, make informed decisions, and contribute meaningfully to society.

She stressed the importance of supporting girls’ education, health, and empowerment, and called on government officials and other stakeholders to take seriously the issue of girls’ education.

The project’s launch in Karonmajigi community is a significant step towards addressing the educational needs of displaced girls in Nigeria. With the support of community leaders, government officials, and other stakeholders, the project aims to make a lasting impact on the lives of these girls and empower them to reach their full potential.