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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Federal Government has inaugurated a National Steering Committee saddled with the responsibility of improving education opportunities of adolescent girls through the platform of Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE).
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, who inaugurated the Committee in Abuja, on Tuesday, explained that AGILE project which is world bank sponsored has proven to be the magic step to pulling significant number of children off the streets back to school.
AGILE Project Coordinator, Hajia Amina Haruna, in her remarks, explained that the project was a $1.2bn loan from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) to the Federal Government and was being implemented in selected 18 states.
She said the initial plan of the project was $500m loan for seven states, namely, Borno, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi and Plateau. But 11 states, namely, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara, later indicated interest in the project, and that, perhaps, warranted the decision of the World Bank to approve additional $700m for the project.
She explained that the project was designed to improve secondary education opportunities among girls in targeted areas in the 18 participating states, hence she called for commitment and support of state governments to the project, by recruiting qualified teachers for proper impact of the project.
She, however, confirmed that the World Bank has approved the modalities that were submitted by the Ministry on the implementation of the project in the 11 new additional states.
Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, in his remarks, explained that the inauguration of the National Steering Committee was aimed at creating system reforms for expansion of access and provision of financial incentives for the girl-child.
He urged the Commissioners of Education in the benefiting states to make use of the resources judiciously, stressing that the Federal Ministry of Education had done a lot towards improving learning outcomes, hence, it’s expected of the State governments to complement the efforts of the Federal Government.
World Bank Country Director, Shubham Chaudhuri, in his remarks, said the bank was committed to any cause that would herald improved access to education of the girl-child.
He said that World Bank’s expectations of the project is that it would give the girl-child the opportunities to contribute to their families, communities and the nation.
Chaudhuri said that efficient deliveries of the project would yield increased investment in girl-child education by the World Bank.
