Tambuwal launches initiative to enroll 1.4m children in school

-Sokoto state plans to enroll 1.4m children into schools over one year.

-The government plans to involve all relevant stakeholders in order to ensure the success of the scheme.

1.4 million children to benefit from Sokoto state government’s educational programme.

The Sokoto state government has inaugurated a state-wide initiative aimed at enrolling 1.4 million children into primary schools across the state within one year.

Flagging off the campaign at Riji village in Rabah Local Government area of the state on Tuesday, Governor  Aminu Tambuwal, described the campaign as the largest enrollment drive in Nigeria.

The governor also used the occasion to inaugurate the State Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme, the Nigerian Partnership for Education Project and a prototype Early Childhood Development Centre.

Tambuwal disclosed that government would reach out to communities and adopt house-to-house advocacy to ensure the success of the campaign.

“The enrollment drive is a high level advocacy mechanism to ensure that all stakeholders partake in ensuring effective awareness and mobilization.

“It involves parents, guardians, communities, religious and traditional leaders as well as the School Based Management Committees (SMBCs).’’

“This will be achieved through empowerment of SBMCs, mothers’ associations, religious and traditional leaders and other stakeholders to conduct campaign in their communities.

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“They will, in addition, regularly track and monitor attendance of enrolled children in their respective schools and communities as part of their oversight responsibilities,” the governor explained.

In his remarks, the commissioner for basic and secondary education, Dr. Jabbi Kilgore, said the “ambitious’’ campaign was “realizable because of government’s target of integrating 4000 Qur’anic schools with existing school models, and other strategies.

“Moreover, the planning and implementation process for the enrollment drive involves working with state legislators and religious leaders as well as partnering with the media to successfully achieve the set objective.’’