The Kaduna State’s Reaching Out of School Children (ROOSC) Project under the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Save the Children International (SCI) has distributed school uniforms to boost school enrollment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise targets learners enrolled into formal schools across nine pilot Local Government Areas (LGA) to improve access, inclusion and learning outcomes.
Speaking at inauguration in Kawo Model Primary School, ROOSC Project Coordinator, Mr Ezra Angai, described the initiative as another milestone in addressing barriers to education.
Angai said the project was designed to ensure that no child was denied education because of poverty or lack of school uniforms.
According to him, the distribution followed the recent presentation of assistive devices to children with disabilities to promote inclusive education.
He added that the Kaduna State Government has constructed new classrooms and renovated existing ones across the benefiting local government areas.
He said the intervention demonstrated the government’s commitment to tackling the out-of-school children challenge through sustainable educational investments.
Angai explained that beneficiaries were children mainstreame into formal schools after completing a three-month catch-up class within their communities.
He said the catch-up programme prepared children who had never attended school before joining the formal education system.
According to him, household mapping conducted by the state identified about 187,000 out-of-school children from over 360,000 households visited.
He said the project aimed to enroll 100,000 out-of-school children and had already surpassed its first-year target.
Angai expressed confidence that enrollment scheduled for September would also exceed the project’s second-year target.
He attributed the achievements to support from the Kaduna State Government and development partners.
He listed the Islamic Development Bank, Global Partnership for Education, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, UNICEF and Save the Children International as key partners.
He urged beneficiaries to study diligently and make good use of the uniforms provided.
The Media and Communications Coordinator of Save the Children International, Mrs Daleen Shamaki, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting quality education.
Shamaki said Save the Children remained dedicated to ensuring children received the support needed to access quality education.
She disclosed that 65 mainstreamed learners received complete school uniforms during the event.
Chairman, Kaduna State House of Assembly Committee on Education, Mr Mahmoud Ismaila, described the intervention as timely.
Lawal said providing uniforms would remove barriers to education and strengthen learners’ sense of belonging.
He commended Gov. Uba Sani’s commitment to improving access to quality education across the state.
The lawmaker said Kaduna had recorded significant progress in reducing the number of out of school children through deliberate government interventions.
Director of Planning, Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Salisu Lawal, urged parents to sustain their children’s education.
Lawal said Kaduna remained the only state implementing the comprehensive ROOSC initiative with support from development partners.
He said the government had introduced a learner tracking system to monitor beneficiaries throughout their educational journey.
Lawal appealed to parents and community leaders to ensure children remained in school until completing basic education.
The community leader, Mai Unguwan Kawo , Alhaji Isiyaku Garba, thanked the Kaduna State Government for the initiative.
Garba also appreciated Save the Children International and development partners for supporting children within the community.
Some beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the state government and partners for the uniforms.
They pledged to study hard and prayed for the success of the programme across Kaduna State. (NAN)
