Tasks media executives to support compulsory education for girls in public secondary schools.
Media executives in Kaduna have been tasked to, as part of their corporate social responsibility support the advocacy for a policy document and implementation framework for free and compulsory education for girls in public secondary schools in Kaduna State.
Speaking at a breakfast meeting on Wednesday in Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria, the Executive Director of Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), Mr. Iliya Kure noted that the gains associated with educating the girl-child can not be quantified, hence the call.
The meeting according to him, was aimed at sensitizing participants on the free and compulsory education for girls’ programme of Kaduna State Government and galvanise Support for AMDF in Advocating for Policy formulation on Free and compulsory Education for Girls in Kaduna State.
Kure enjoined participants to task their producers, presenters and reporters to leverage on their education programmes, and other current affairs programmes to drum support for a policy document and implementation framework for free education in the state.
Expounding on the project, the Project Manager Mr. Benjamin Maigari noted that the project which seeks a policy document to back the free education for girls’ pronouncement by the state government will entail that girls in Kaduna state are not only enrolled in schools, but they are retained unto completion.
The Kaduna state government had in September 2018 declared a free and compulsory education Programme for girls in public secondary schools across the state. However as laudable as the effort is there is no policy document and implementation framework to ensure its effective implementation and sustainability.
The 2016-2020 Kaduna State Development Plan revealed that an estimated 37% of students drop out by year 6 of primary school, and only 23% of all female students’ complete school. But with a framework signed and implemented, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education predicts that the completion rate of female students in public secondary schools will increase from the current 23% to 53% and impact more than 224,000 girls in secondary schools across the state.
To this effect, AMDF is supporting Kaduna State Ministry of Education to close the gender gap in education in the State; a state with poor education outcomes, including low student attendance and high dropout rates.
Hence, Maigari also charged the participants to join AMDF and Kaduna State Government in the promotion of girl-child education, and also monitor the implementation of the policy once launched by the government for an improved education outcome in the state.
Responding, the Acting General Manager, Liberty Radio and Television Mal. Abdulkadir Lere decried the non-existence of a policy to back the free education programme for girls in Kaduna, without which he said the education of girls is at stake. Lere, who described the project as a laudable initiative pledged the station’s commitment to support AMDF through the process to ensure girls in the state have access to education.
On his part, the Programmes Manager, Freedom Radio, Mal. Zakari Aminu acknowledged the contributions of AMDF especially in building the capacity of journalists in Kaduna.
He lauded the effort of the organization in promoting girls’ education and pledged the Station’s support towards the success of the process.
The project: “Advocating for Policy Formulation and Adoption of Free and Compulsory Education for Girls in Public Secondary Schools in Kaduna State” is being implemented by the Africa Media Development Foundation, funding is provided by Rise Up; a program of the Public Health Institute, through funding from the Cummins Foundation between June 2019 and May 2020
