Jamila Dahiru, the Bauchi Commissioner for Education, says the state government has concluded arrangements to construct 42 basic and post-basic schools under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme.

She said this at a one-day orientation exercise for the Bauchi State AGILE Steering Committee on Friday in Bauchi.

AGILE is a five-year World Bank-supported education programme implemented in collaboration with the federal and participating state governments.

It aims to tackle education demand-side constraints that hinder girls from attending schools through strategic communication campaigns, advocacy and engagement with community leaders.

Ms Dahiru said the state government had contributed N150 million counterpart funding to the project, adding that 1,003 schools would be rehabilitated.

The commissioner said the projects would ensure a conducive and inclusive learning environment for students in all the schools.

“This initiative will bring awareness about the importance of girls’ education, dispel myths and misconceptions, and promote community support for education in general.

“Girls will also be empowered to be able to navigate through skills and digital literacy, meeting up with the digital world.

“AGILE project addresses financial barriers to education through the Girls’ Scholarship Programme and would directly support the poorest households.

“It will also remove the financial burden of sending their daughters to school and promote equitable access to education in the state by providing uniforms, books and other stationery materials,” she said.

Ms Dahiru said the steering committee would play a major role in providing guidance, approved work plans, monitoring the project’s progress and addressing possible challenges.

She tasked stakeholders to actively participate and contribute their expertise to successfully implement the programme.

Earlier, Halima Dimis, AGILE Communication Officer in the state, said the exercise would keep the committee up-to-date on its terms of reference for effective project implementation. 

(NAN)