The District Head of Fatika in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Mr. Nuhu Umar said on Wednesday that only 10 per cent of schools in the district operate due to insecurity.
Umar made this known at a two-day meeting with traditional and religious leaders in Kano.
The meeting was organized for traditional and religious rulers to enlist their support for the girl-child education (including those over 18 years) in Kaduna State.
The meeting was organized by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) governance programme, Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), in collaboration with Kaduna State Basic Education Accountability Coalition.
He said that 90 per cent of schools in the area had been closed due to insecurity, adding that even the 10 per cent currently operating was a risky decision just to keep children learning.
He called for concerted efforts to end the security challenges in the state to enable children to be able to attend school.
According to him, this will prevent them from becoming a menace to the society.
Also speaking, Mr. Jonathan Ayuba (Galadima) of Angan Chiefdom, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, said that poverty would continue to negatively impact parents’ ability to send their children to school.
Ayuba added that the recent increase in school fees in tertiary institutions by the state government had forced many girls into prostitution to be able to pay the inflated fees.
According to him, the development has negated the state’s free education policy, as parents have continued to pay one form of charges or another to provide education for their children even at basic level.
The District Head of Takum, Kagoro Chiefdom, Kaura LGA, Mr. Joshua Kogaya, noted that women had always been relegated to the background and assigned the responsibilities of childbearing, kitchen, and other domestic chores.
Kogaya said that girls had been sent into early marriages and forced to drop out of school due to religious and socio-cultural convenience.
He said the emphasis on the girl-child education was a welcome development that would no doubt change the gender-based narration against girls.
On religious misconception about educating the girl- child, Imam Shamrilu Nasir, the Chief Imam Samaru Central Mosque and Legal Adviser, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Kaduna State, stressed the need for massive mobilization of religious leaders to promote girls’ education against early marriages.
Nasir explained that religious leaders should be engaged to find ways of encouraging parents to educate their girl-child.
For the District Head of Chawai, Kauru LGA, Mr Joshua Amadu, the state government must strengthen its engagement with community leaders in the design and implementation of education policies.
“We are being asked to submit reports on ongoing projects in our domains even when we are often not consulted during the planning and implementation of the projects,” Ahmadu said.
Mr. Sani Galadima, Deputy Director, Chieftaincy Matters, Ministry of Local Government Affairs, noted the existing gaps in community participation in delivery of government projects.
Galadima, nonetheless pointed out the critical role of traditional and religious leaders in monitoring delivery of health, education, and other social services in communities.
He stressed the need for a working synergy between community leaders and security agencies to ensure a safe learning environment in schools.
Mrs. Hadiza Umar, Co-Chair (Citizens), Open Government Partnership, Mrs. Hadiza Umar acknowledged the myriad of challenges affecting the education sector and other barriers to girls’ education.
Umar said that community members must find ways to contribute their quota in supporting the government to strengthen the education service delivery systems in the state. (NAN)
