From Macaulay Divine, in Kaduna
In a world where education is viewed as the cornerstone of progress,The Reaching Out-of-School Children ( ROOSC) project in the State aims to provide quality education to over 200,000 out-of-school children in the state.
As the pressing need for the government to translate rhetoric into action to provide quality and inclusive education cannot be overemphasized.
Fortunately for Kaduna State, under the leadership of Senator Uba Sani, it has brought forth dedicated campaigns to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the State.
The campaign under the auspices of Reaching Out-of-School Children(ROOSC)’ project anchored by the Ministry of Education with support from partners like Save the Children International (SCI) and UNICEF is aimed at returning 100,000 children to school.
The State Governor, Senator Uba, recently announced that the Kaduna State Government had identified access to quality education and infrastructure provisions as key challenges facing the education sector in northern Nigeria.
“We set out to tackle the key challenges in the educational sector in Kaduna State in six ways: improving access, building and rehabilitating educational infrastructure to create a conducive learning environment, enhancing the capacity of teachers, leveraging information and communication technology (ICT) to improve access to quality education and its management, prioritizing girl-child education, and strengthening security in the state,” he explained.
The project marks a crucial step in the shared commitment to ensuring that children in the State have access to quality education, irrespective of their circumstances.
To walk the talk, the State government, with support from partners, recently organized a two-day workshop for media practitioners to seek their buy-in of the project and develop a visibility plan for the Media Working Group.
Speaking during the presentation, the Director of Planning, Ministry of Education, Salisu Baba, opined that the project seeks to change the narrative for out-of-school children, particularly girls, children with disabilities, and adolescents, by providing them with a path to education opportunities, and a brighter future.
The project is a four-year project aimed at inclusive, equitable, quality primary education for children and adolescents in the state.
Speaking during a media visibility plan development with the State Media Working Group in Kaduna the Director, Planning, Ministry of Education, Salisu Baba opined that the project seeks to change the narrative for out-of-school children, particularly girls, children with disabilities, and adolescents, by providing them with a path to education, opportunities, and a brighter future.
According to him, Education is the foundation of a prosperous society, and its importance in shaping the future of our state cannot be overstated.
Similarly, the Project Director (ROOSC), Mr Emmanuel Mbursa, stated that it would provide inclusive and equitable provision of quality primary education for all children.
He added that the intervention, which was gender-sensitive and pro-poor, was aimed at providing quality, sustainable, and affordable education for every child in the state.
Mbursa explained that out of the 100,000 out-of-school children to be supported and returned to school, there were over 32,000 pupils in integrated Non-State Quranic, Tsangaya, foundations, and neighborhood schools.
Mbursa explained that 102 new schools would be constructed across the 23 local government areas, urging the journalist to follow up and report on the progress of the project.
Speaking earlier, the Gender Inclusion Specialist, ROOSC project, Masturah Baba, stated that gender inclusion was central to the project in ensuring inclusive education.
She explained that the lack of a ‘Water Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH)’ facility was a major hindrance to girl-child education, adding that over 7,000 dignitary kits would be distributed to the girls to improve menstrual hygiene.
According to her, girls would be trained on how to make reusable pads to ensure sustainability.
Addressing the participants, the State Coordinator for Project ROOSC, Mr. Ezra Angai, Stressed that the program, with support from partners, has shown that the State has taken decisive actions that will pave the way for a brighter and more inclusive future for the youngest members of our society.
He therefore urged the media to key into the programme and use their expertise to give the project the necessary publication
In his remarks, the Chairman of Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Alhaji Abdulgarfa Alabelawe said as media practitioners their commitment to education should be reflected not just in words, but in concrete actions via reportage
According to him, to tackle the issue of out-of-school children, media practitioners move along the lines of producing reports that will ensure no child is left behind,” he said.
