The United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Education and the Bauchi State government has flagged off the Girls-for-Girls Initiative (G4G) in 100 schools in Bauchi State.
At the official lauching of the project at the Government Girls College, Bauchi, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF, Bauchi, Abdulai Kaikai, said that the project would be established in six focused Girls Education Project, GEP3 local government areas of Alkaleri, Ganjuwa, Ningi, Shira, Toro and Zaki.
According to Kaikai, the project was a component of the Girls Education Project, phase 3 (GEP3), being implemented in Bauchi, Niger, Kastina, Sokoto and Zamfara states through a collaboration with UNICEF and the Federal Government with funding from the United Kingdom Department of International Development, DFID.
“According to UNICEF statistics, the average northern girl only stays in school up to the age of nine and one in 10 girls in northern Nigeria generally completes secondary education. These numbers are staggering and should be considered a threat to national development.
” In 2011, UNICEF with the financial backing of USAID, initiated the Girls Education Project phase 3 (GEP3). The aim of this project is to get at least 1 million girls in Bauchi, Niger, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara enrolled in schools” Kaikai said.
Flagging off the G4G initiative, Governor Mohammed Abubakar said that the project which was a newly introduced initiative established in schools by UNICEF was aimed at increasing girls enrollment, retention and completion in schools.
The governor who was represented by the State Head of Civil Service, Liman Bello, said that the project was a step taking in the rigth direction, geared towards providing girls with a platform to voice issues depriving them from accessing and completing thier education.
The governor said that his administration has paid all its counterpart funds in all the activities of UNICEF interventions and was willing to support the objective of the project.
In her remarks, the Bauchi State First Lady, Hajiya Hadiza Abubakar, said that GFG Programme would enable girl child to remain in school as well as attend higher institution.
The First Lady lamented that Bauchi state has the least enrollment of girl child in junior secondary school due to poverty and cultural believe.
She thereby calls for on hands to be on deck in support of girl child education to ensure they have brighter future.
“This project is important because I was once a girl and I was opportune to be educated so we must all join hands together to ensure that all girl child are educated,” she said.
Hajia Abubakar then commended UNICEF and state Ministry of Education for the initiative saying it would go a long way to address illiteracy level among girl child in the state.
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