From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Community participation is critical to the education of children and increase access to education in complex northeast states after over a decade of violence.
This was the conclusion of participants in Maiduguri, Borno State capital at the end of Two-Day capacity building for community members in the state organized by an education intervention organisation; Plan International Nigeria.
Project Coordinator for the Education in Emergency in Complex states in Northeast, Samuel Mamza said Plan International organized the capacity building to provide required information and skill to community members to increase access to quality and inclusive education to children and young people.
“This workshop was organized to strengthen community based structure; women and security forum, to give them the needed capacity to hold the pillar of the project which is education in emergency, in complex states of northeast,” he aexplained.
He said the training was also designed to strengthen the capacity of young women to protect, prevent and respond to case of sexual gender violence (SGV) in their communities.
Several cases of sexual and gender-based violence have been reported in the state following the 13 years of insurgency in the area.
Mamza said the education project which started about two years ago, is expected to wind up by September. He disclosed that arrangement are in place to ensure ownership of the project even after it is officially closed. He said the project is funded by the Spanish International Cooperation Agency for Development (AECID).
Over 120 participants including women, young people and men attended the workshop.
.Malam Salau Mohammed and Hajiya Gana Dawud of Peace and Security group, said the skill learnt during the workshop will help in sensitizing parents, children and guardians on education.
“It’s our duty to have conversations with children or young people who are not going to school or Islamic centers because they can cause problems in our communities in future. That was how they started here (Borno),” he said.
There are about 1.8 million out-of-school children in the three northeast states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe affected by insurgency, according to a UNICEF report.