The Katsina State Government has lauded GOALPrime Organisation Nigeria and its partners for successfully returning 6,588 out-of-school children to the classroom in Musawa Local Government Area.
The commendation was given by the state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Zainab Musawa, who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ummulkhairi Bawa, during a visit by the state’s technical working group to monitor GOALPrime’s project implementation on Thursday.
Bawa, who led the joint monitoring committee, said, “We have gone round and we’ve seen a lot of children attending these classes, as some are under psychosocial support, some are under alternative learning. I never thought that we would see this large number of children as out-of-school children.
Bawa, who led the joint monitoring committee, said, “We have gone round and we’ve seen a lot of children attending these classes, as some are under psychosocial support, some are under alternative learning. I never thought that we would see this large number of children as out-of-school children.
“The government, in its part, has contributed by providing classrooms where these children learn and others. We really appreciate the efforts of these donors; may the Almighty Allah bless them. The GOALPrime and Save the Children.”
Bawa also appealed to parents to support the effort by ensuring their children attend school.
She added, “I would like to appeal to the parents to at least send their children or wards to attend because it is very important, even if they cannot work for any government organisations but to be self-reliant and subsequently employers of labour as they enrol them in school, such as this.”
Earlier, the Education Programmes Manager at GOALPrime, Kalu Michael, explained that the visit was part of a joint effort under the Education Cannot Wait, First Emergency Response initiative.
He said, “The project in partnership with Save the Children, GOALPrime Organisation Nigeria, is implementing the ‘Integrated Emergency Education Response in North-West Nigeria’ project. Funded by ECW, First Emergency Response is an innovative programme that targets over 20,000 boys, girls, adolescents, and children with disabilities aged 6–18 in Musawa LGA. In its seven months of implementation, key interventions include providing alternative learning programmes for over 6,000 out-of-school children.”
He added that other key efforts include, “Rehabilitating classroom blocks and latrines, distributing dignity and hygiene kits, building capacity for teachers and education personnel, mitigating effects of climate change on the people.”
Also speaking, the Child Protection Specialist at GOALPrime, Rukaiya Aliyu, highlighted the psychosocial and child protection efforts.
Aliyu said, “Safe spaces for children to receive support and engage. 320 children and 180 caregivers were supported and psychosocial support was provided to children and caregivers, promoting emotional well-being.
“45 teachers and 18 social workers [were] trained on MHPSS in Anka and Musawa, capacity building for mental health and psychosocial support in schools and communities. 25 facilitators trained on Adolescent SRH.”
She also mentioned the establishment of child protection committees.
She stated, “Sixty-member Community-Based Child Protection Committees (CBCPCs) formed in Anka and Musawa comprise 27 men, 27 women, three boys, and three girls, promoting community-led child protection among others.”
According to GOALPrime, the children were selected through a careful profiling process targeting the poorest households.
The enrolled children were grouped based on learning levels, Beginners, Words, and Story, with 60% of beneficiaries being girls and 40% boys.
Despite these strides, the monitoring team observed gaps in infrastructure, urging the government to provide more chairs and essential learning materials to improve the learning environment.
The team visited several pilot schools, including Inde Primary School, Kauyen-Dandago, and Jikamshi Pilot School, all located in Musawa LGA of Katsina State.
Credit: THE PUNCH.
