Kaduna mobilises 2, 000 for school enrolment campaign

The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) on Thursday mobilised 2, 000 education stakeholders as part of activities to kick start the 2019 enrolment campaign.

The board’s acting Director, Social Mobilisation, Malam Ibrahim Aminu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that the campaign targets the enrolment of 727, 764 out-of-school children in the state in five years.

Aminu explained that the campaign, which targets the enrolment of 145, 000 pupils in 2019, would be carried out under the World Bank assisted Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA).

He explained that the 2, 000 stakeholders, who would serve as enrolment influencers would be trained to carry out community-based and house-to-house sensitisation campaign on the need to send children to school.

He said that the stakeholders comprise of traditional leaders, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, youth and women groups, community-based organisations, community members, social mobilisation officers and local government chairmen.

“Others are school-based management committees, parent teacher associations, legal officers, Education Marshals, vigilantes, local government education secretaries, social welfare officers, as well as education and social development officers,” he said.

He disclosed that the board has held a strategic meeting with master trainers, who would train the 2, 000 influencers in six centres across the three senatorial districts on the enrolment campaign modalities, adding that they 2 would be expected to mobilise community leaders of 4,260 primary schools in the state and conduct community fora on enrolment.

“The 727, 764 out-of-school children in the state militate against the realisation of the full potentials of children in the state. This is a huge threat to the attainment of goal four of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The community-based and house-to-house enlightenment campaign is to influence change of attitudes and behaviour among parents and community members toward the education of their children, especially the girl-child.

“It is also designed to sensitise the general public on the availability of free basic education in the state and the consequences of not sending a child to school,” he added.

The director recalled that the federal government had in 2018 secured a $611 million World Bank grant for the BESDA programme in 17 states with highest number of out-of-school children.

He identified the states as Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Niger, Ebonyi, Rivers and Oyo states.

He said that the Kaduna state government has already received $3 million to commence implementation of the programme.

According to him, the programme is to support Universal Basic Education Commission in addressing pillar one of the ministerial strategic plan that seeks to address the problem of out-of-school children in the country.

“The specific objective the programme is to increase equitable access to education for out-of-school children, improve literacy in focus states and strengthen accountability for results through system strengthening.

“578 million dollars out of the 611 million dollars will be expended on Programme for Result, while 33 million dollars will be spent on technical assistance.

“This means that the bulk of the fund will be disbursed to the benefiting states based on the number of out-of-school children they were able to enrol in school by gender,” Aminu added.