By Henry Uche
In demonstration of its commitment to promoting quality education in Nigeria, Leadway Group, in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria, has completed a comprehensive renovation of community primary schools in Tarbutu, Bursari Local Government Area, Yobe State, Northeast Nigeria.
The strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) by one of Nigeria’s leading insurers and a member of the global charity movement, ActionAid, aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG Goal Four) global quest to provide access to Quality Education and Partnership for the goals.
Through this partnership, about 1,000 school-aged children living in rural and remote communities in Yobe, Northeastern State, would have access to quality education in a conducive environment. The fully renovated learning facilities provide the school with six additional classrooms, ready for immediate use.
At the commissioning and hand-over ceremony, the Group Chief Marketing Officer of Leadway Holdings, Olusakin Labeodan, stated that the corporate social responsibility by both organisations was designed to create value in society by improving access and advancing educational opportunities for indigent children, especially in remote and underserved communities.
“According to the 2022 National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, only 24.8 percent pre-school age population in Yobe State have access to foundational education. This is well below the national average of 43 per cent. Also, the state’s literacy index is at the bottom of the national list with only 7.68 per cent of literate citizens.
“We understand that these recent insights reflect the impact of insecurity in the region, and sadly the education, the bedrock of human development, has been affected the most”
Labeodan maintained that as a value-creating organisation, Leadway and other like-minded organisations such as ActionAid, have decided to intervene to bridge the learning gap in affected states, adding that the organisation have been working to provide a conducive learning environment by helping to restore dilapidated infrastructure. “We are optimistic that our progressive actions to improving the learning environment one community at a time, brings us closer to amplifying opportunities for our young ones to grow and thrive beyond limitations” he affirmed.
Similarly, the Director of Programmes, ActionAid Nigeria, Suwaiba Dankabo, said “ActionAid believes that the renovation and provision of furniture will promote access to quality and inclusive public education for children in Tanbutu community and provide them with a safe and conducive atmosphere for effective teaching and learning.”
Dankabo confirmed that “Leadway Assurance has been involved in similar efforts at bolstering child education through strategic partnerships with a recent collaboration with non-governmental organisations, such as Slum2School, to provide free educational support to children in underserved areas in Nigeria”