By Mubarak Aliyu kobi
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to promoting girl child education in the state.
Speaking at the Traditional and Religious Leaders Conference on Girls’ Education in the North-East Geo-Political Zone, the governor emphasized the importance of education in building a robust and sustainable economy.
According to Governor Mohammed, his administration has been working closely with the Federal Government to address the challenges facing the education sector in Bauchi State.
These challenges include high out-of-school children, early marriage, low enrollment, retention, completion rate, and poverty.
Senator Bala Muhammad noted that his administration has declared a state of emergency on education, followed by an educational summit that brought together educationists where they discussed ways of improving the sector.
According to him, Present administration has also implemented various initiatives to promote girls’ education in the state.
These initiatives include the introduction of schools for girls-only at the senior secondary level, implementation of the Bauchi State Education Strategic Operation Plan, and conditional cash transfers to girls in secondary schools, in addition to the construction and renovation of 120 schools with furniture under the AGILE Project.
Governor Mohammed commended traditional and religious leaders for their support in promoting girls’ education. He noted that these leaders have joined hands with the government in addressing factors responsible for early child marriage, negative social norms, culture, tradition, and poverty.
Bala Muhammad emphasized that the girl child must be educated, and all critical stakeholders must work together to achieve this goal.
He expressed his hope that the conference would lead to increased advocacy and awareness creation on the significance of girls’ education and hoped that traditional and religious leaders would support the federal and sub-national governments in reorienting their members and followers on myths and negative social norms that prevent parents from supporting their children’s education.
On his part, the representative of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, Bukar Bukarbe described the conference as timely and in alignment with federal efforts to advance girls’ education nationwide.
The Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar emphasized the importance of collective support from traditional leaders, religious figures, and community members in ensuring the success of girls’ education initiatives.
He praised Governor Bala’s proactive approach in addressing educational challenges in Bauchi State.
Amina Buba Haruna, National Coordinator of the AGILE Project, underscored the program’s goal of raising awareness about the significance of girls’ education in the insurgency-affected North-East.
The Commissioner of Education, Dr. Jamila Dahiru, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ali Babayo, affirmed that the Bala Mohammed-led administration remains steadfast in its efforts to empower girls through education, calling for sustained support from stakeholders.
