Radda Appoints Community Learning Officers To Reduce Out-of-School Children
Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda has appointed 361 people as Community Learning Officers (CLOs) to track school attendance, ensure accountability, combat absenteeism in schools. and strive to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state.
The Governor, who interacted with the CLOs on Tuesday, said the initiative was part of the government’s Community Development Programme.
“Community Learning Officers will play a crucial role in monitoring and improving educational standards. They must track school attendance, ensure teacher accountability, and combat absenteeism. They must lead efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children, ensuring that every child has access to education.
“This work is critical in securing a brighter future for our state and ensuring that the next generation is equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed,” Radda emphasised.
The governor said that the state Community Development Programme has been designed to transform the lives and livelihoods of the people of Katsina State.
“Our vision is simple but profound—to implement community-driven development across the entire state, ensuring that every citizen, regardless of their background, benefits from our policies.”
He reeled out the progress made since the government inaugurated the community programme early in the year.
“Through the Community Development Programme, we have already achieved remarkable milestones: 18,000 farmers have received power tillers and modern farming equipment; 3,000 women have been empowered through business support initiatives; 361 large-scale farmers have benefited from agricultural programs, with over 32,490 small-scale farmers supported; 36,100 farmers have been provided with fertilizers,” he said.
He added that the programme had supported 300 widows who received N50,000 grants to start small businesses; financial support for 7,220 women, and the empowerment of over 90,000 individuals in 361 communities in two months.
The governor also noted how the government community-driven approach played critical role in addressing insecurity, citing the example of Katsina Community Watch Corps (C-Watch), which has significantly reduced banditry and other security threats.
He demanded for effective and transparent utilisation of resources, and using the CDP portal to track and report all activities of the programme, to ensure that it remains inclusive and corruption-free, warning that “any violation of the principles of the CDP will result in strict disciplinary action.”
In his opening remarks, Dr. Kamaludeen Kabir, the State Coordinator of the Community Development Programme (CDP), said that the interaction was to evaluate progress and ways to improve performance.
