Research overtime has shown that, majority of girls in Northern Nigeria hardly transit to secondary schools after completing their primary school education and the few that are fortunate to be enrolled in secondary schools hardly complete the level.
As part of effort to solve the problem and facilitate Girl-Child Education, Kaduna State Government has flagged off the presentation of cheques to the parents of the first cohort beneficiaries of Conditional Cash Transfer under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project.
Speaking during the event, the Kaduna AGILE Project Coordinator, Hajiya Maryam Sani Dangaji disclosed that the exercise marks the commencement of the disbursement exercise to the over eight thousand targeted beneficiaries across the state.
In this regard, Hajiya Dangaji said there is the need for concerted and deliberate efforts towards addressing the root cause of the problem with a view to harnessing the potentials of every girl child like any other part of the world.
She added that the first edition of the programme focused on fifteen local government areas in Kaduna State with high poverty ranking and low transition level of girl child with a view to encouraging them financially.
In a remark, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Dr. Halliru Musa Soba expressed delight with Kaduna State emerging as the first state to flag off the Conditional Cash Transfer to the parents of girl child across the federation, attributing the feat to the laudable policies of the state government geared towards women education and empowerment.
Dr. Halliru Musa Soba added that over the years, Kaduna state government has been encouraging the children of the poor to attain their full educational potentials through various interventions and policies that facilitate enrollment, retention and transition level of girl child in schools.
He reassured the state government’s sustained support towards providing equal opportunity to every girl child will go a long way in the drive towards achieving the desired results.
On her part, the representative of the Principals, Mrs. Austen Dukas said for the overall aim of the initiative to be achieved, there is the need for the parents of the benefitting students and their caregivers to utilize the funds judiciously.
Some of the benefiting students interviewed expressed happiness with the support aimed at facilitating their education and attaining their full potentials.