Education
THE Kaduna Basic Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM) on Thursday resuscitated District Education Committees in three districts in Kaduna metropolis to address socio-cultural barriers to girls’ education.
The committees resuscitated were in Kujama, Makera and Tudun Wada Districts in Chikun and Kaduna South Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state respectively.
The resuscitation was supported by the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
A member of KADBEAM, Mr Femi Johnson, explained at the inauguration of Kujama District Education Committee in Kaduna, Chikun LGA, that the goal was to sustain engagement towards addressing challenges affecting educational development.
Johnson explained that the District Education Committees were made up of community actors working with the district head to ensure access to quality, equitable and compulsory free education for all.
According to him, the goal is to fast-track educational development for all in all districts with due emphasis on girls’ education.
“The committee is expected to support citizens to play their statutory roles and demand for their rights and take ownership of investment in education institutions and ensure sustainability.
“They will also play a critical role in promoting community interest in planning and implementation of education programmes, amplifying community interest in education service delivery and influencing decision making.”
Earlier, Mr Smith Waya, explained that the committee was not functional because it was not committee driven, and highly politicised.
Waya said that the committee would serve as the community structure that would drive the educational development in the district.
Inaugurating the committee, the district head of Kujama, Stephen Ibrahim, said that their roles were to facilitate community participation in education governance and promote enrolment of learners in school.
Ibrahim added that the committee would also increase the transition of learners across the district to tertiary institutions and ensure equity, gender, and social inclusion in educational development across the district.
“The committee will also address the barriers to learning especially for girls, persons with disabilities, and persons with special needs.
“They are also expected to improve the literacy level of the community, strengthen education service delivery, and support schools level accountability and ensure schools are safe for all learners.
“The committee will also strengthen support for grievance redress mechanisms on the rights to education and ensure basic education is accessible to all,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, the Chairman, Mr Markus Baba, thanked the district head and members of the community for the confidence bestowed on them to deliver on the mandates.
Baba, a former Permanent Secretary, and former Education Secretary, called for the support of all community members to improve the education status of the district. (NAN)
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Tags: Femi Johnson KADBEAM Markus Baba Smith Waya
