No fewer than 20, 000 out-of-school girls and women are expected to be enrolled in the formal school system in 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Sokoto State.
Cynthia Obazee, the National Coordinator, Grassroots Entrepreneurship Skills Acquisition, GESA, disclosed this on Wednesday in Sokoto.
Obazee spoke at a stakeholders’ consultation meeting on Acceleration of Second Chance Education for Women and girls (SCEFWAG).
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She said they would be enrolled under the EU/UN Spotlight Initiative Second Chance Education for Women and Girls.
“The aim of this project is to reach to out-of-school women and girls, including boys and men, those living with disabilities, victims and survivors of Gender-Based Violence, those living with HIV, victims of early marriage, victims of early and unintended pregnancy, the rural poor/orphans,” she said.
The coordinator said GESA was contracted by the UNESCO to implement the project in Sokoto, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Cross River and Lagos states as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Obazee said GEZA in collaboration with the Agency for Mass Education under the Ministry of Education, and other relevant agencies would implement the second chance education for women and girls in Sokoto North and Binji LGAs.
According to her, the project will be scaled up to other Local Government Areas in 2020.
“The 2015 survey of the National Bureau of Statistics shows that 462,164 out of school children are in Sokoto state and two-third of this data are women and girls.
“We should stand up for women and girls right to education. We are all responsible to reach out and leave no one behind.”
The Spotlight Project Manager, Mr Shadrach Uloko urged stakeholders including government, traditional rulers, community leaders, religious groups, women organisations, youth groups, the Civil Society Organisations to support the project.
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