From Okwe Obi, Abuja
In a bold move to tackle the persistent threat of gender-based violence (GBV) in schools, the Nasarawa State Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) has trained over 280 GBV focal persons across AGILE-supported schools.
Delivering the opening remarks on behalf of the State Project Coordinator, Aishatu Aliyu Isoga, Deputy Coordinator, Julianna Polycarp emphasized the administration’s commitment to safeguarding adolescent girls.
Polycarp said the capacity-building initiative formed the core of a two-day workshop focused on the validation and harmonization of GBV service providers across the state.
According to her, the project, organised under the World Bank–funded AGILE Project, the workshop, aimed to equip school-based focal persons with the necessary tools to prevent, identify, address and respond to project related GBV incidents, while also streamlining support services to survivors across communities.
She said the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education, seeks to address barriers that prevent adolescent girls from accessing and completing secondary education—barriers often exacerbated by violence and abuse.
“Governor Abdullahi Sule’s government is deeply committed to the protection and development of the girl child. GBV remains a global challenge that cuts across homes, workplaces, communities, and especially schools.
“This is why the AGILE project integrates GBV prevention and response as a key component, aligning with international best practices,” she said.
Polycarp also noted the rationale behind Nasarawa State’s inclusion in the AGILE programme, citing the high number of out-of-school children, particularly girls.
“We are addressing this by implementing all relevant project components, including the planned construction of 30 new schools across the state for both boys and girls. The project will also engage over 1,000 teachers who will be deployed across these schools,” she said.
The training was led by GBV expert Ms. Elsie Ihunde, who highlighted the unique vulnerabilities associated with large-scale school infrastructure projects.
“AGILE’s construction and rehabilitation efforts attract labor influxes into host communities. This can increase the risk of sexual exploitation, harassment, and abuse for women and girls.
“We are also seeing issues such as teacher-student misconduct, bullying, and other forms of violence within school settings,” she warned.
According to Elsie, the training was not just about raising awareness but equipping the GBV focal persons with practical strategies for prevention, mitigation, survivor support, and referral pathways.
She added that participants were also trained on Basic Life Support and first aid, facilitated by Instructors from Ambulance Academy, to ensure immediate assistance and psychosocial support could be rendered where necessary within the schools.
The State Project Implementation Unit’s GBV Officer, Fatima Mohammed, in her goodwill message, commended the comprehensive nature of the workshop.
She affirmed that more schools would be brought into the validation and harmonization exercise. “Our goal is simply to make Nasarawa State AGILE schools and our communities GBV-free” she declared.
Representatives from the Ministries of Education and Women Affairs, civil society organizations, law enforcement agencies, shelter, health and legal service providers, community leaders, and livelihood support groups, were in attendance.