.The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS , Ambassador Samuela Isopi disclosed at the launch of the Northwest EU Education Programme in Sokoto on Wednesday.
The disclosure is coming as Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto says his administration is leaving no stone unturned in providing quality and accessible education to all gender of school age in the state.
Besides , the Secretary to the state government , Muhammad Bello Sifawa had explained that the government was working to achieve results on the initiative long before now.
Sifawa said the attention of the government was premised on three cardinal aspects which include facility, teachers and children noting that education and security were instrumental to development of the society.
However, Aliyu Sokoto explained that the state government 2024 budget prioritized education by allocating the highest part of the breakdown to the sun sector while decrying that Insecurity occasioned by banditry , kidnapping and other sundry crimes had affected the education of children in areas hit by bandits attacks.
” This has affected the quality of education for our children. Governor’s of the region have decided to commit their words to action by initiating security measures to recruit guards to safeguard and protect children in schools and their communities.
” We also set the ball rolling especially in Sokoto that machineries have put in place to ensure youths are gainfully employed through skills acquisition and training in different trades.
” All these intervention measures are directed at achieving remarkable success in enrolment, reintegration and retention of children in school and provide youths with meaningful activity for self reliance and development”, he pointed out.
According Isopi the initiative was aimed at also reversing the the discouraging records of out of school children through holistic approach in specific aspects across Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano states.
” We will dwell on the need to create conducive environment(facilities) to encourage drop outs to go to school,h as an opportunity to complete their education and develop their lives.
” We want to strengthen the educational system through this timely and strategic investment as a transformative measure and intervention against the challenge which has stagnated the Northwest educational development.
” We need to pursue this critical area by joining forces together”, she stressed while reminding that the EU had been at the vanguard of promoting it’s spotlight programme against gender based violence and other critical aspects that affects the social and health needs of citizens including agriculture.
Representative of UNICEF in Nigeria, Cristiana Munduate said the agency was concerned about the life circle approach to driving such interventions through the early stage at both primary and secondary levels of education of children.
” We want a strong political will coming from the hearts and minds of stakeholders especially the leadership in the state for the educational property and well being of children in the state.
” I am glad with the governor’s allocation to education . Let it be sustained with commensurate resources. We equally need accurate data for positive decisions inorder to meet our target of transforming education”, She solicited.
