Foundation moves to boost girl-child enrolment in Gombe
Jamil Al Hakeem Foundation in collaboration with Malala Fund has engaged grassroots stakeholders in the education sector in Gombe State towards boosting girl-child enrolment in public primary schools in the state.
Hasiya Nyako, the chairperson of the Foundation while speaking to newsmen in Gombe on Monday said the girl-child still faced series of challenges impeding their access to education.
She stated this on the sideline of a one-day “Mapping and Design Workshop on Girls’ Attendance and Retention in Public Primary Schools in Gombe State.”
Nyako said that girl-child education was needful to harness the girl-child potentials for national development.
She stated that the programme which has a two-year duration would work with community leaders and stakeholders to strengthen community-based structures to advocate for girls’ right to education.
According to her, similar programme is being implemented in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
Nyako maintained that girl-child education could not be achieved with enrolment alone but with retention and completion.
“Hence we will increase awareness on the need for girls to stay in schools and finish their education.”
“When a girl-child isn’t given education, she had been deprived of her right to achieve her dreams and become great in future.
“Attendance and retention are key to improving girl-child education in the state and country; we must ensure that girls go to school regularly, remain there until they complete their education.”
According to her, the overall goal will be to break barriers impeding girl-child access to education while improving their enrolment into schools.
She said her foundation would use advocacy and sensitisation, community mobilisation, capacity building and skills development for stakeholders on Gender-based violence, human rights advocacy and policy influencing formation.
According to her, training of school-based management committees would also be prioritised in the three communities of Balanga, Gombe and Deba where the programme is being implemented in Gombe State.
Nyako said over 2, 000 girls would be directly targeted for the project while over 100 female teachers would be trained to serve as role models in their communities and schools.
Also speaking, Hajiyah Aishatu Ibrahim, the Girl-child Coordinator, Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) said girl-child education was a priority to the present administration in the state.
Ibrahim said that the state government had engaged different measures and strategies to boosting girl-child and children enrolment over the years and had provided incentives in most cases to boost enrolment.
“This is why we have open-arm policy to welcome development partners to ensure that out-of-school children are all enrolled back to school and we have made substantial progress in that regard,” she said.
Ibrahim commended Jami Al Hakeem Foundation and Malala Fund for the intervention to complement the efforts of the state government towards securing better future for the children in Gombe State.
On his part, Malam Hassan Abubakar, the District head of Bokna in Deba Emirate of Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State said the programme was a welcome development.
Abubakar said giving education to not just girls but children meant “giving them the light to guide their dreams and potentials to fulfilment.”
He called on parents and all stakeholders in Gombe to support the state government and all stakeholders working to boost girl-child enrolment in the state.
A participant from Balanga, Mrs Memunat Sani advised stakeholders to engage in empowerment programmes for women in rural areas, noting that such would help make women financially stable to allow their girl-child to go to school as against hawking.
Our correspondent reports that Jamil Al Hakeem Foundation is a non-governmental organisation geared towards charity activities especially to those vulnerable members of the community like women and children.
