Out-Of-School Children: SBMC Tasks Katsina State Govt To Complement UNICEF Efforts

The chairman, School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) in Katsina state, Dr.Surajo Abubakar Dalhat, has urged the state government to complement moves by the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) in tackling and reducing out-of-school children in the State.

According to the UNICEF survey, no fewer than 500,000 children are out of School in Katsina State.

The Girls Education Project Phase 3(GEP3) aims to improve girls’ access, retention and learning in Katsina and is been implemented by UNICEF and the Katsina state government with finding from the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Dr. Dalhat noted that the effort of UNICEF and Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCDO,) through cash donations and training to schools and teachers have gone a long way in combating problems confronting especially girls’ education in the state.

He made the disclosure on Monday when some selected journalists from Katsina, Kano and Abuja went round some schools that benefitted from grants and training provided by UNICEF and FCDO.

According to him, it is on record that these two bodies selected some schools and Integrated Qur’anic Schools (IQS) by giving them a sum of N250,00 quarterly making a total of N750,000 yearly.

He further disclosed that this amount is what the beneficiary Schools use to provide books, uniforms, building toilets and other necessary infrastructures in the respective Schools, which has been enhancing children’s education, especially girls’ education.

Dr Dalhat added that what the UNICEF is doing is just like a pilot scheme hence the need for the state government to do the same in this direction.

The gesture had increased the enrolment of girls in the schools and reduce the menace of rape and other socio-harassment, especially on girls.

He said that the contribution of UNICEF and FCDO have encouraged parents to send their children to school.