By Sadeeq Muhammad Umar
Governor Dauda Lawal led a delegation of officials from Zamfara to Kigali for a four-day retreat marking the end of Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) in the State.
The retreat commenced on Monday, 4th December, with a series of events aimed at revamping the educational sector in Zamfara State.
According to a statement by the Governor’s Spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, BESDA is a World Bank initiative that aims to improve literacy rates and provide equal access to education for out-of-school children in Nigeria.
The statement added that the BESDA program aims to improve basic education and strengthen accountability for results in states like Zamfara.
He said: “In line with the recent declaration of a state of emergency on education in Zamfara, Governor Dauda Lawal led a high-powered delegation comprising the Secretary to the State Government, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Executive Chairman of the Zamfara State UBE, and others to Rwanda for a retreat.
“The United Nations organised a four-day retreat as part of its Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme. The programme aims to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, which is currently the highest in the world according to UNESCO.
“In an interaction with the Rwandan Ministry of Education, the Zamfara State delegation held vital engagements on policies, strategies, programs, mechanisms, and initiatives for addressing Gender-Based Violence in schools (lessons learnt, achievement, challenges, and way forward).
“Other vital areas discussed are policies, strategies, and programs to address early pregnancy cases in schools and support provided identified cases.
“The Zamfara delegation also had a brainstorming session with the Rwandan Basic Education Board, where ideas were exchanged, especially on the overview of the work of the board and possible ways to improve the Zamfara State Universal Basic Education.
“Governor Lawal’s entourage also visited selected Public Schools (outside Kigali) with smart classroom settings to adopt and implement the same in Zamfara public schools.
“During a visit to the African Leadership University, Governor Lawal secured scholarships for Zamfara indigenes displaced by banditry in the State.”
