The 30 members of the Jigawa State House of Assembly have signed and agreed with the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) to reduce the number of out-of-school children by 42 per cent between September to first quarter of 2025.
This was disclosed by the UNICEF Kano field office education specialist, Mr Muttaqa Muktar Muhammad while fielding questions to news during an interactive session with relevant stakeholders in the education industry to plan a drive on school enrollment campaign across the 30 constituencies organization by the UNICEF supposed to European Union (EU).
The education specialist explained that the interaction is part of invention on the project of education and youth employment managing by UNICEF and funding by EU which is implementing by the state government and the local government areas.
Muhammad noted that, “Jigawa state Universal Basic Education Board in collaboration with European Union and UNICEF today held an interactive session with relevant stakeholders in the education industry to plan a drive on school enrollment campaign across the 30 constituencies.
“We are significantly here to overall aims of working with different stakeholders to see how did we support the reduction the number of the out of the schools children in Jigawa state. You might have hard from the discussion here that Jigawa is number eight on the list the state with high number of our of the schools children in Nigeria.
“Education is a right to every child as guaranteed by constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, hence the need for concerted effort by all stakeholders to ensure every child is carried along.”
He, therefore, commended Jigawa state government for devoting 32 per cent of its annual budget to educational which according to him had surpass the UN bench mark.
“Jigawa state government is investigating huge resources to see that children benefit from their to education. You know that 32 per cent of the total of 2024 budget allocated to education. We are gladly have a very strong partnership with the 30 members of the Jigawa state house of Assembly.
“Just last week on the 7th precisely we held a commitment meeting with all of them where they all agreed to reduce our of schools children by 42 per cent in their respective constituencies. Any of them signed a commitment with UNICEF to reduce the number of our of the schools in his constituency, this is grate.”
Muhammad maintained that the meeting is to plan how to get all stakeholders come together to support the reduction of the number of our of the schools children. Secondly to see our actions plan and see who do we accelerates the reduction.
“As you can see, the participants were drown across the state and different sectors which includes members of the state house of Assembly, chief executive of education sectors, LGAs support team, traditional rulers, Mothers Association, NUT, NUJ, CBOs etc trying to see how do we organization an enrollment drive it will facilitate the coverage in all the 30 state assembly constituencies we have in 27 local government areas of Jigawa state.”
In his opening remarks, the chairman of Jigawa State Universal Basic education Board professor, Haruna Musa pointed out that the motives was to discuss on issues boarding on out of schools children syndrome which Jigawa is rated among the seven states mostly affected by the challenges.
He said that the forum will develop and agreed on accelerated plan for the reduction of the school children in the state.
In his remarks, Chairman House committee on education and member of representatives Gwaram constituency Ado Yakubu Zandam pledge the support of the legislative to ensure success in the school’s enrollment across their respective constituencies.
He noted that, the issue of the out of school children has remained a source of concern among parents and the government.
Also commenting on behalf of the royal fathers, the Sarkin kudu Gumel ,Alhaji Bala Mohammed stressed need for the intensive enlightenment campaigns to all nooks of the state to reawaken parents on the to enroll their wards into schools.
Presentation from various stake holders, were made on implication of out of school children and way forward during the meeting.
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