The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Katsina State Government, has re-enrolled 4,000 out-of-school adolescent girls in school.
Umar Nata’ala, the Acting Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of the Department of Girl-Child Education and Child Development, disclosed this in Katsina on Friday.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nata’ala made this known at a two-day stakeholders’ close-out session on Almajiri and out-of-school adolescent girls programming in the state.
According to him, some of the programme’s achievements include training of more than 6,000 out-of-school adolescent girls on basic literacy, life and vocational skills.
“Four thousand out-of-school adolescent girls were re-enrolled back to schools, and 400 Proprietors of Tsangaya (Allaramas) were trained on safeguards,” Nata’ala said.
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Earlier in her opening remarks, the Special Adviser to Gov. Dikko Radda on Girl-Child Education and Child Development, Hajiya Jamila Abdu-Mani, said the aim of the meeting was to reflect on the achievements, challenges and sustainability of the programme.
According to her, the key stakeholders were invited to x-ray what transpired from the year 2021 to date on child protection, behavioural and attitudinal change targeting almajiri and out-of-school adolescent girls in the state.
Abdu-Mani, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Department, Alhaji Aminu Badaru, maintained that the programme had verified and documented the data of 148,252 almajiri and out-of-school adolescent girls.
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“The programme established safe spaces where basic literacy, life and vocational skills were offered to the beneficiaries in Katsina, Rimi, Kaita, Batagarawa, Mani and Daura Local Government Areas.
“I wish to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to Gov. Radda for all the support and cooperation being rendered to the department to implement its programmes and activities.
“I also wish to commend UNICEF for its support towards implementing child protection programmes in Katsina,” Abdu-Mani said.
In her presentation, the Child Protection Officer, UNICEF Kano Field Office, Mrs Rahila Manasseh, spoke extensively on the programme closure and its sustainability by the Katsina Government.
Manasseh said that the government would sustain the programme through the establishment of Community Adolescent Hubs in the six focus local government areas.
She outlined specific roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders, such as state and local governments, civil society organisations, communities, and UNICEF.
The UNICEF official noted that the roles and responsibilities were to ensure the sustainability and success of the programme.
According to her, the success of the programme requires financial support, establishment of structures, start-up kits, community mobilisation, capacity building and joint monitoring.
In his vote of thanks, the Mani Council Chairman, Alhaji Yunusa Muhammad-Sani thanked the state government and UNICEF for coming up with the laudable initiatives.
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He said that the initiatives would bring succour to the vulnerable children, especially almajiri and adolescent girls in the state.
Muhammad-Sani, who spoke on behalf of the other benefiting local government chairmen and other stakeholders, gave full assurance of their support and cooperation towards achieving greater success and sustainability of the programme.