…To motivate 16,260 girls to complete secondary education
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – As a way of reducing the rate of out-of-school and encourage Girl child education, the Bauchi State Government has identified 16,260 girls in Junior and Senior Secondary Schools across the state for conditional cash transfer to motivate them to attend classes and graduate under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project.
The was announced by the State Commissioner for Education and Project Coordinator of AGILE, Dr Jamila Dahiru while interacting with journalists in her office on Saturday, October 7, 2023, during which she said that each of the girls in JSS 1-3 will be given N5,000 while those in SS 1-3 will receive N10,000 every term in order to encourage them to always return to school until graduation.
The commissioner also said that there will be digital education programme in order to empower the girls with skills which will be useful to them in the future, adding that the AGILE project is aimed at doing things differently in order to achieve an improved education sector through effective and efficient learning process in a conducive environment.
Dahiru explained that the project is basically aimed at assisting students that dropped out of school due to economic issues with a view to give them the chance to go back to school and complete the second stage of education.
She further said that the target is aimed at the poorest of the poor who do not have any means of payment of school fees and other requirements.
The Bauchi State Education commissioner also said that mechanism has been put in place to determine those that will qualify, adding that apart from boosting enrolment of the girl child in school, the AGILE project will ensure that the standard and quality of education would not decline but rather improved upon greatly as teachers would be motivated and equipped to impart knowledge on the students.
She explained that the set objective will be achieved under the component One of the project which is tagged; ‘Safe and accessible learning sources’ comprising new space learning in Secondary schools, improving existing infrastructure (school improvement), teachers recruitment and employment for new schools.
According to her; “The second component will be ‘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 will be ‘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.
Dahiru further said; “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 state”.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, said that there is accountability in the execution of the project because it is community driven and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) monitored.
The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, (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.
