Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has flagged off Nigeria’s largest school
enrolment drive which targets 1.4 million new intakes in the next one year.
The event, which took place at Riji village in Rabah LGA, was also used to
officially the launch the State cash transfer scheme, the Nigerian
Partnership for Education Project and the prototype early childhood
development centres (ECD).
Riji village is the birthplace of former Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir
Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto.
Speaking at the event, Tambuwal said his administration will continue to
invest significant amount of time and resources in order to turn around the
fortunes of the education sector.
“The enrollment drive is a high level advocacy mechanism which ensures that
all stakeholders partake in ensuring effective awareness and mobilization
of parents, guardians, communities, religious and traditional leaders as
well as the school based management committees on the importance of
enrolling all school-age children into schools,” he said.
According to him, the enrollment campaign will primarily concentrate on
community level activities especially house to house campaigns.
“This will be achieved through empowerment of SBMCs, Mothers’ Associations
(SA), religious and traditional leaders and other stakeholders to conduct
campaign in their communities.
“They will, in addition, regularly track and monitor attendance of enrolled
children in their respective schools an communities as part of their
oversight responsibilities,” he added.
In his remarks, the state commissioner of basic and secondary education,
Dr. Jabbi Kilgore, said even though the figure of 1.4 million new intakes
into schools is ambitious, it is realizable because of government’s target
of integrating 4000 Qur’anic schools with existing school models and other
strategies introduced.
According to him, the planning and implementation process for the enrolment
drive involves working with state legislators and religious leaders while
partnering with the media and at the same time collaborating with the
national Population Commission for data of new births in various
communities.
He said records from the 2016/2017 enrolment drive has shown significant
reduction in out pf school children, 7.3 percent increment in pre-primary
and primary school children of which 4.4 percent were girls.
In his goodwill message, UNICEF’s acting chief of field office for Sokoto,
Zamfara and Kebbi, Mr. Paul Mudzondo, said the event was unique and
historic in the sense that apart from campaign for enrolment, government
has provided stipends to poor families to support enrolment and maintenance
of children, especially girls, in schools.
Enrollment 4: Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal in a group photograph with
four of the newly-enrolled children and other government officials at the
flag-off of Sokoto state school enrollment drive in Riji, Rabah LGA.
Enrollment 3: Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal enrolling new intakes into
primary school at the flag-off of Sokoto state school enrollment drive in
Riji, Rabah LGA.
Enrollment 2: Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal presenting a school bag to
young Sadiya Takahi after she was enrolled in school for the first time, at
the flag-off of Sokoto state school enrollment drive in Riji, Rabah LGA.
Enrollment 1: Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal presenting a school bag to
young Safiyanu Adamu after he was enrolled in school for the first time, at
the flag-off of Sokoto state school enrollment drive in Riji, Rabah LGA.