Kaduna, Jan.16,2026(NAN) The Kaduna State Government says more than 40,000 adolescent girls have been reached through a structured life skills education programme as part of efforts to institutionalise life skills education in public secondary schools.
The Ministry of Information disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Kaduna , stating that Gov. Uba Sani was set to forward an Executive Bill to the Kaduna State House of Assembly to make life skills education a mandatory and permanent component of the state’s secondary school curriculum.
According to the statement, the programme is being implemented under the World Bank-supported Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project.
It said the initiative had so far reached 40,536 girls and 1,864 boys, while 1,141 teachers have been trained as mentors across senior secondary schools in the state.
The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, made this known at a strategic workshop in Abuja on the institutionalisation of life skills education.
Sambo, who spoke on behalf of the Governor, said the administration was committed to repositioning education beyond academic outcomes to deliberately build emotional intelligence, resilience, leadership skills and social responsibility, especially among girls.
He explained that the reform marked a shift from a traditional “thinking” approach to a more holistic “doing and feeling” model of education, aimed at equipping students with skills to navigate real-life challenges.
The commissioner said the life skills curriculum covered empowerment, health and nutrition, reproductive health, prevention of gender-based violence, climate change and social inclusion.
The ministry added that early outcomes of the programme included improved student confidence, reduced absenteeism, increased enrolment and positive behavioural changes such as greater respect and empathy among learners.
Also speaking, the AGILE State Project Coordinator, Hajiya Maryam Dangaji, confirmed that the programme was currently being implemented across all senior secondary schools in Kaduna State.
In her remarks, the Executive Director of the Centre for Girls’ Education, Dr Habiba Mohammed, described Kaduna’s approach as a benchmark for sustainable, girl-child-focused education reform.
Reacting to the proposed legislation, the Chairman of the Kaduna State House of Assembly Committee on Education, Hon. Emmanuel Kantiok, assured that the legislature was ready to fast-track the bill after the conclusion of stakeholder consultations.
The ministry of information added that the proposed law would provide a clear legal framework and dedicated budget to ensure that life skills education, particularly for the girl-child, remains a compulsory part of public education in Kaduna State.(NAN)
