Ibrahim Sidi Muh'd 
…as CSOs, NGOs, others laud gov for promoting girl-child schooling
- Project to address alarming shortfall in girl-child education, poor enrollment –Govt
- There’s concern over disparity in education, girl-child access to school –Coordinator
RESCUE MISSION Faced with the astonished sliding fortune of the state’s education sector, the Zamfara State Government has risen to the challenge of rescuing the ailing system with the establishment of AGILE Project, designed as a valve to breathe life into the comatose sector
A silent revolution that will rejig the comatose education sector, change the face of education delivery in Zamfara State, and realign the sector in meeting the 21st century standards is taking place in the state. Initiated by the state government led by Governor Dauda Lawal, the renewed approach to qualitative education delivery is focused on girl-child education, provision of quality teachers, enhanced student enrollment and retention in schools, as well as rehabilitation of decayed facilities, and improved learning outcomes, among others.
Leading the revolution is a programme, tagged “AGILE Project” a pet project of Governor Lawal’s administration primarily initiated to address the alarming shortfall in girl-child enrollment in schools, poor school enrollment, dearth of facilities and relevant instructional materials, as well as to create unfettered access to education, promote high enrollment, retention and completion in school across the state.
Prior to the AGILE Project, an education agenda of the state government that is aimed at rescuing the ailing sector from its woods, available data indicated the concerns over the significant disparity in educational opportunities with greater proportion of girl-child lacking access to education with abysmally low educational materials, apparently traceable to the scourge of insecurity in the state.
Project
Given this gap and the urgent need to fix and reposition the education sector to address the citizens’ education needs and necessities, the state government realising the dire need therefore introduced the AGILE Project in the state as an imperative, if not for anything, but to leapfrog the sector and raise the bar of quality education delivery in the state.
The project, under the State Coordinator, Sa’adatu Abdu Gusau, underscored the significant shortfall in girl-child enrollment in school, especially at primary and secondary school levels, and provided insights into the disparity in educational opportunities as a greater proportion of female children across the state lack access to education.
With the establishment of the AGILE Project by Governor Dauda Lawal-led government as one of his administration policy thrust to boost education, the governor has been commended by various stakeholders at different fora organised by the AGILE officials in collaboration with focal Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) for standing firm in his determination to promote the policy of ‘Girl-Child Education.’ Similarly, the stakeholders also lauded the governor for his administration’s unwavering support for the AGILE Project and its effective implementation in the state.
The AGILE Project is to leverage on series of collaborations and partnerships to boost the state’s education sector
As part of the governor’s dogged support to give the project more bite and ensure smooth implementation of the project in the state, he appointed the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Malam Wadatau Madawaki, as the Chairman, State Project Steering Committee of AGILE, a Committee which also composed membership of all the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). According to the State Coordinator, Gusau, the appointment of Madawaki has provided excellent guidance and direction for the progress of the project, leveraging on the commitment of the governor towards the project.
Meanwhile, with the aim of the project to achieve high enrollment, re-enrollment of school age children, retention and completion of children in schools, the project, according to its handlers, has continued to enjoy competent support of stakeholders from all the expected facets of professionalism. Despite the support, the Coordinator, however, stated that there was need for more and sustainable support of traditional and religious leaders, policymakers, community members, parents and organisations for the project to achieve a huge success.
The gap, particularly in girl-child education, according to reports by the AGILE Project and Zamfara State government, not only hinders the children’s personal development, but also negatively impacts the broader socio-economic growth and prosperity of the society, and the state in general.
Tracing the trajectory of the crisis of the state’s education, it was reported that over the years, Zamfara had for long been ranked the last among the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as it always positioned at the lead for lacking qualified teachers, conducive environment for teaching and learning, as well as the least state with female student enrollment and dearth of instructional materials, especially for science subjects and technologies across the state schools.
However, the emergence of he AGILE Project in the state’s education space, described to be a response to the urgent need to resuscitate the state’s ailing education sector, has offered a comprehensive solution towards address the systemic challenges faced by adolescent girls and women in accessing quality education, and opportunities for empowerment and skill development.
On the modus operandi of the project, the implementation of AGILE Project, according to the handlers, rests on a collaborative framework that engages the state government and the diverse stakeholders, including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), NGOs and traditional rulers in order to track the progress and optimise the impact of the project.
Besides, the collaboration for the implementation of the AGILE Project in the state involved the World Bank partnership in the area of access to financial support, technical expertise, and global best practices; as well as Zamfara State Project Steering Committee (SPSC), headed by the state Commissioner for Education Science and Technology with membership of Commissioners and heads of relevant Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).
Also, on the other hand, there is collaboration with the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) headed by the SPC Government focusing on alignment of policies and coordination with relevant MDAs in the state. According to the Coordinator, the various levels of collaborations and partnerships with relevant Non-Governmental Organisations and CSOs are mainly to enhance programme effectiveness and reach, and active participation of community leaders, SBMCs/ CBMCs, parents, as well as the youths to ensure local ownership and sustainability of the project.
Components
For effective and efficient administration, and the implementation strategies, AGILE Project, is segmented into three key components. The first component is Creating Safe and Accessible Learning Spaces under which 42 new schools with 21 schools each for the Junior Secondary School (JSS) and the Senior Secondary School (SSS) are targeted to be newly constructed.
The other is the Accurate sitespecific surveys (topographical and geographical), which focused on site-specific architectural designs, M&E drawings, Bill of Quantities (BoQs) for the 42 schools to be developed; as well as the component for Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) of seasoned Consultants to develop Security Management Plan (SMP) for the project.
However, it is painstaking to note that the various collaborations for the project have declared their commitment and dedication to improve the existing infrastructure across the secondary schools, and the 441 schools and non-formal learning centres targeted for renovation and rehabilitation under the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP).
Towards achieving these formidably objectives, no fewer than 2,250 School/Centre Based Management Committees (SBMCs/CBMCs) had been trained on effective utilisation of School Improvement Grants (SIGs); 174 security-accessible schools mapped out for SIG disbursement (82 Small Grants, 92 Medium grants) with disbursement completed in all the 174 schools and learning centres across the state.
Given the spate of the project implementation, under AGILE Project, school renovation works are at different stages of completion alongside provision of WASH facilities and Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) 4,410 (1,250 F) School Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs) members formed in 441 schools, out of whom 1372 (370 F) members were trained on Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRMs) by equipping them with knowledge and skills to receive and handle grievances.
To strengthen stakeholders’ optimism and confidence for achieving standards and sound education, at least 500 GRM complaint/suggestion boxes had been provided across the schools, while Tree Planting Campaign was flagged off in three pilot schools across the three senatorial districts of the state.
As part of the implementation strategies, some 2,500 community members have been reached on policy makers (50 MDAs) on advocacy, sensitisation and mobilisation campaigns on girl child education and transition to JSS/SSS and empowerment opportunities; with 3,500 number of Social Media Influencers; 2,500 members for Outcome of Media Roundtable; 3,500 people for Awareness through Radio, Television and print Media; and 5,500 per activity.
Added to this, already no fewer than 150 Senior Secondary Schools under the AGILE Project had been selected for Life Skills intervention and 396 Guidance and Counsellors (G&C) mentors had identified Adolescent Health Desk Officers, and RH providers had been recruited in 346 PHCs of participating local government areas mapped out with technical partners engagement. In fact, the state government and the AGILE Project records have it that some 50 schools had been selected and 8,000 girls projected for digital skills training across the 50 senior secondary schools; while 103 teachers selected for the ToT Development under the digital literacy curriculum is ongoing by the ICT pedagogy consultants engaged for that purpose.
Still under the project, 57 women and vocational centres targeted for second chance education intervention, School Improvement Grants (SIGs) disbursed to 38 non-formal learning centres, and renovation works are at different stages of completion. The AGILE Project is to leverage on series of collaborations and partnerships to boost the state’s education sector, even as the Basic Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum for Facilitators and Mass Literacy Providers (National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education) have been produced for the non-formal centres; with 2,250 beneficiaries of second chance education opportunities already identified, and 2,250 log books had also been produced for distribution to the trainees.
Further findings also indicated that over 16,700 adolescent girls identified as CCT beneficiaries are presently undergoing verification and sensitisation programmes on girls’ sponsorship on CCT programme conducted by the project, which is also reaching out to 368 stakeholders, including 70 traditional leaders, 42 religious leaders, 28 women leaders, 28 youth leaders, 14 LGEA Education Secretaries, 14 ANCHOR representatives, 56 teachers, 58 SBMCs representatives and 58 parents, respectively.
In view to consolidating the state of emergency imposed on the state’s education sector by the state government, action plan for recruitment and deployment of 2,000 qualified teachers among whom 60 per cent are women to AGILE-focus schools has been concluded and deployed in collaboration with the Teacher Recruitment and Deployment Technical Working Group (TRDTWG) of the state. The collaboration and partnerships were inaugurated by the state government and quarterly coordination meetings are being held among the 27 key MDAs, NGOs, CSOs and donor support projects in the state on girl-child education and empowerment.
Again, it was gathered that as part of efforts to streamline the activities of the AGILE Project, the State Steering Committee meeting was convened in February, July and October last year, while consultation meetings were also held with the CSOs and NGOs for improving disability inclusion on the project. This programme reached out to 91 participants of whom 32 are females, including the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWDs) with representation of 27 PWDs from different disability clusters in the state.
