10,000 Girls In Gombe Schools Set To Benefit From Re-Enrolment Program

The Coordinator, Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment Project, Haruna Amina-Abdul, has expressed optimism about enroling no fewer than 10,000 girls back to school following the rise of out-of-school children in Gombe State.

Amina-Abdul made this disclosure on Wednesday during a one-day sensitisation meeting with Community-Based Organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations in Gombe.

Our correspondent reports that the sensitisation was organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the AGILE AF project.

According to her, more girls are dropping out of school due to varying challenges.

She said, “We are here in continuation of a series of sensitisation that is vital before the implementation. Today, we are taking Non-Governmental Organisations and Community-Based Organisations to have an engagement with them so we explore areas of collaboration for the success of the implementation of the project.

“The project will not be considered to be impactful if there is no relative increase in the number of girls being enroled in schools.

“As it is, more girls are dropping out of school but our target is to get the girls back to school. We are targeting 10,000 for enrolment back to school. It is not that the girls are not there; only that their parents are not ready to send them to school.”

The Executive Director, Voice of Hope, Gloria Usman, said the CBOs and NGOs have an enormous role to play in achieving the mandate of the project.

“The project is giving a second chance to the girls to get an education. As you go by the major highways, you see girls waiting to be used for cheap labour,” she stated.

Speaking earlier, the State Commissioner for Education, Dr Aishatu Maigari, who was represented by Adamu Dukku, called on the NGOs and CBOs to work assiduously towards achieving the needed results.

Maigari said, “Bring your ideas and skills to the table. Let us work hand-in-hand so that together we can make a lasting difference and surpass our target.”