FOMWAN says education critical to peace, security

EDUCATION goes beyond teaching youths how to read and write; it plays a significant role in the maintenance of peace and security, the National Amirah of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Hajiya Rafiah Sanni, has said.

Hajiya Sanni stated this at the second annual education summit of the Bauchi State chapter of FOMWAN themed ‘Achieving Total Development through Quality Education in the Midst of Security Challenges’ held on Sunday in Bauchi.

She described FOMWAN as an education-focused organisation that promotes the educational development of women, youths and children through the establishment of formal and non-formal schools, including vocational centres, all over the federation.

She gave the assurance that FOMWAN would continue to impact positively on the educational progress of the ummah.

“Education is a tool for improving national security. It plays a significant part in the maintenance of peace and security. The education that enhances security goes beyond teaching youths reading and writing alone; it must be all-embracing,” Hajiya Sanni added.

Declaring the summit open, wife of the Bauchi State governor, Hajiya A’isha Bala Mohammed, noted that her husband’s administration attached great importance to the education of women and youths in the state.

Represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, Hajiya Hajara Jibrin Gidado, the First Lady said the current administration, since inception, had been collaborating with non-governmental organisations such as FOMWAN towards the development of education in the state.

In a welcome remark, the Bauchi State Ameerah of FOMWAN, Hajiya Aishatu Ibrahim Kilishi, said the summit was one of the strategies to sensitise and mobilise the populace, especially the Muslim ummah, and other stakeholders to pay more attention to education and its development in the country.

“The importance of education in the social economic, political, scientific and technological advancement of any society cannot be over emphasised. Education remains the tool for poverty eradication and human development,” she said.

Hajiya  Kilishi explained that the state chapter of the association was deeply involved in developing and promoting access to education with the provision of 14 nursery, primary and secondary schools, over 100 Islamiyya/Qur’anic centres and 15 adult literacy classes and skill acquisition and vocational centers.

She stated further that FOMWAN was concerned about girl-child education, adding that educating a girl-child, the future primary teacher of the child, was one of the best investments to overcome poverty, ignorance and disease.

According to her, education in the state, like in the country, is facing some challenges which need to be addressed from all fronts.

“We have identified inadequate funding, poor implementation of national policies on education, politicisation of education, mismanagement, wastage and inadequate data as some of the factors that have culminated into poor quality of education in the country. The problem of insecurity has added to these challenges,” Hajiya Kilishi stated.