The Nasarawa State Government has flagged off a major school improvement project supported by the World Bank to boost education for adolescent girls across the state.
Governor Abdullahi Sule launched the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, AGILE, on Monday in Lafia. The project will support 490 public secondary schools across the 13 local government areas.
Sule said the programme aims to help more girls finish school and learn useful life skills. He said the state qualified for the project after it paid a counterpart fund of N150 million, adding that new schools will also be built under the programme.
“The programme is aimed at addressing the lack of completion of education by adolescent girls, particularly in secondary schools, through providing support to schools, families and communities, and also to empower girls with relevant skills for self-development,” the governor said.
He said the funds will go directly to schools to upgrade buildings, provide books and materials, improve toilets and water supply, and create safe learning spaces for girls.
Sule urged School-Based Management Committees to manage the funds well and follow the approved plans. “We must be transparent and accountable,” he said.
Also speaking, the state’s AGILE Project Coordinator, Aishatu Isoga, said the programme targets girls between the ages of 10 and 20, especially those from poor backgrounds who risk dropping out of school.
She said the project includes construction and repairs of school buildings, social campaigns to promote girls’ education, and support for schools to plan and carry out needed changes.
Isoga said, “A total of 515 schools will benefit in three categories: 331 will get small grants, 159 will get medium grants, and 25 large grants. These will be disbursed in two phases. For this first phase, 490 schools are involved.”
She explained that the School Improvement Grant gives each school community the chance to decide what changes they need and carry them out.
Nasarawa State Commissioner for Education, John Mamman, thanked all the partners and said the ministry would make sure the project runs smoothly in all the local councils.
