Foundation Enrolls 9, 000 Out-of-School Children in Jigawa.
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
The Sarkin Dawaki Education Foundation in Gwaram, has enrolled over 9,000 out-of-school children in Gwaram federal constituency in Jigawa state.
This was disclosed by the founder and chairman of the foundation, Alhaji Ado Yakubu while speaking to The Syndicate in Nasarawa village, Gwaram local government area, shortly after presenting free uniforms to 180 children in the village.
“I’m devastated. I became encouraged in this projects after a report of the findings made by the foundation which gathered that there are over 20,000 out-of-school children in Gwaram local government area.
“The foundation also conducted research on causes of out-of-schools children and their increasing number in the area.
“Some of the causes include poverty, long distance from school to school and misunderstanding between some communities”.
He said that the foundation decided to intervene to address the problems and get the children back to school.
Mr Ado, who represents Gwaram state Assembly constituency, and is the Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education, said the foundation collaborated with traditional and religious leaders, chairmen and members of School Based Management Committees (SBMCs) of respective primary and junior secondary schools in the eleven political wards in the area.
This, he said, was to ensure the enrollment of new students and the return those already out, back to school.
“Thirty pupils were selected from six schools in area, with four nomadic schools and two secular schools benefiting from the gesture, worth N2.8 million,” he added.
He said that the foundation provided free uniforms and other school requirements to the children.
According to him, 20 males and 10 females benefited from the support in each of the six selected schools.
“The foundation is also working with religious and community leaders, parents, and the SBMCs in the area to ensure that all eligible children are enrolled in school.
“Addressing the problem of out-of-school children requires collaborative effort. So as a lawmaker and chairman house committee on basic education, we’ve introduced programmes and policies to identify the challenges.
“We’ve identified some of the obstacles that prevented our children from going to school in various areas and we are working on them.
“I set up a committee which discovered about 20,000 out-of-school children in Gwaram LGA and we selected 450 schools under my education foundation to support them with teaching and learning materials,” he said.
The lawmaker added lack of water and absence of schools in some communities is also hindering access to education in the area.
“We are providing sources of water and we are also collaborating with SUBEB to provide schools in such communities so that their children will go to school without any hindrance.
“Henceforth, we will be meeting with community leaders and SBMCs to facilitate reintegration of out-of-school children.
“Headmasters will be taking attendance of those children who don’t come from Monday to Friday. Names of such children that don’t come will be forwarded to the village heads, then to parents for prompt and proper action,” he assured.
In his remarks, the SUBEB Executive Chairman in the state, Professor Haruna Musa, commended the lawmaker for the intervention, saying it will go a long way in reducing the number of out-of-school children and improve learning in the area.
Also, the area’s Education Secretary, Malam Garba Haruna, said the gesture will enhance teaching and learning, as well as school enrollment.
Garba thanked the foundation for providing writing boards and chalks to schools in the constituency.
