In a significant move to bolster educational safety and resilience, the European Union, in partnership with UNICEF, has launched an initiative aimed at training education stakeholders in Kano on crucial topics such as school safety, psycho-social support, and climate literacy.
The programme, which began on Wednesday, marks the start of a comprehensive four-year effort running from October 2023 to August 2027, extending its reach to the states of Jigawa and Sokoto as well.
Aisha Abdullahi, an education facilitator with the Education and Youth Empowerment (EYE) project, highlighted the importance of Kano as a key beneficiary of this newly introduced EU-funded initiative in Nigeria.
“Kano was selected as one of the top beneficiaries of the newly introduced EU-funded education and empowerment programme in Nigeria,” she stated.
The initiative aims to significantly increase the number of girls and boys who will benefit from safe, inclusive, and relevant learning and skills development opportunities. Abdullahi elaborated on the program’s structure, saying, “We started this exercise with the training of ToT. They are the master trainers, and the master trainers will go down to step down the training to 800 teachers across the schools in 10 local government areas of the state.”
The targeted local governments include Nasarawa, Kano Municipal, Dala, Gwale, Sumaila, Gezawa, Dawakin-Tofa, Makoda, Tudun-Wada, and Dambatta. Abdullahi further emphasized the training’s goal of enhancing the capacity of stakeholders to mitigate conflict and disaster risks through improved knowledge of early warning signs, identification, and response mechanisms.
The training has attracted 40 participants from various sectors, including local government areas, the education ministry, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and management boards of Quranic, Islamic, and Sangaya schools, as well as tertiary institutions.
Umar Doguwa, the education commissioner, praised UNICEF’s intervention through the EU-EYE project, noting its potential impact on the education sector. “Their programme has addressed challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, teachers training, and gender disparities in education. UNICEF has helped in creating a brighter future for these young learners,” he stressed.
