Sokoto Establishes Agency for Girl-child Education

As part of renewed efforts to enhance access to education among females in Sokoto, the state government has announced the establishment of an agency for girl-child education.

Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal made this known during a meeting with officials from the Nigeria Office of UNICEF and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).

“The new agency will coordinate all issues related to female education from basic level to tertiary level. Officials of the agency will also interface with local and international stakeholders to properly monitor progress of our girls in schools and what needs to be done to boost enrollment, retention and completion of all girls in schools in Sokoto state.

“Importantly, the agency, in close collaboration with other agencies and government departments, will supervise and implement targeted policies aimed at assisting our female students to achieve their potentials,” the Governor was quoted as saying via a statement issued Wednesday by his spokesman, Malam Imam Imam in Sokoto.

According to him, huge investment has been made to ensure turn around in the fortunes of education in Sokoto, and appealed to development partners, especially the DFID, to expand their areas of intervention in the state.

On the school feeding programme which the government plans to introduce, Tambuwal said consultations are still ongoing, with a view to ensure that once introduced, it will be self-sustaining.

“We are currently studying the challenges faced by other states, notably Kano and Kaduna, when they introduced the school feeding in public schools. We are working with all our partners to introduce home-grown strategy in its implementation.

“As soon as it takes off, we plan to ensure it is sustained,” he added.

In her remarks, DFID’s Education Adviser, Laura Brannelly, commended Tambuwal for declaring state of emergency in education, saying so far, there’s a coordinated effort to tackle challenges in the sector in the state.

She equally urged the Governor to expedite action on the proposed National Summit on Female Education which Sokoto government plans to organize early next year.

Others in the team were Roisin Whille, Teija Vallendigham and UNICEF’s Azuka Menkiti.