By Hussaini Yero
No fewer than 24,000 out-of-school children will be enrolled in Schools in Zamfara state by the Adolescent Girls Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project.
This was made known on Thursday by the Zamfara state AGILE project coordinator Hajiya Sa’adatu Abdu Gusau while addressing newsmen in her office.
The project coordinator said the AGILE project is a World Bank intervention project in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and the Zamfara State Government and aimed at the enrollment of more adolescent girls in schools in the State.
She said the AGILE project was also to increase enrollment of adolescent girls into schools, where traditional rulers, religious leaders and community leaders are involved to enlighten the public about what AGILE is all about.
According to her, part of the method for the increment of enrollment is the use of conditional cash transfers to less privileged families to ease children’s transportation to attend school.
“We are targeting children who finished primary school going to junior secondary school, and those who finished junior secondary school and go to senior school, but did not have the means”, Sa’adatu disclosed.
The Coordinator maintained that 42 new schools would be constructed and 441 schools would also be rehabilitated under the Agile project across Zamfara State.
“To facilitate the construction and rehabilitation of targeted schools, AGILE has already disbursed funds to AGILE account, and the money would be transferred to the School Based Management Committee (SBMC), and SBMC will offer the service provider the fund as undertaking.
“The project has one and two components where the school base management committee would ensure the judicious use of the funds and monitor project implementation in the state”, Saudatu explained.
She stressed that the AGILE project has played a significant role through strategic guidance and support to accomplish its set targets in the state.
The Coordinator also commended the Zamfara state governor, Dauda Lawal, for the immediate approval of the counterpart funding and provision of suitable office for the AGILE project as requested by the AGILE.
