Stephen Ibrahim, the district head of Kujama, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has decried the absence of secondary schools in 15 communities in the domain.

According to him, the non-availability of secondary schools in the communities is responsible for many out-of-school children, particularly girls.

Mr Ibrahim said this during an interactive session with traditional and community leaders on removing barriers to girls’ education.

He said some children walk between six and 15 kilometres to the nearest school in other communities.

Mr Ibrahim identified the communities as Danbushia, Keke A and Keke B, Doka Mai Jamal, Sabon Gero, Kakura, Dan Hono, Kaluga, Kurmin Data, Kan Rafi, and Sabon Garin Kan Rafi.

Others are Torkachi, Kafari, Ungwan Sori, Buyaya, Karatudu and Federal Housing in Gonin Gora.

He appealed to the state government and other development partners to consider building more schools in the community to facilitate the transition from primary to secondary schools.

The meeting was organised by Kaduna Basic Education Accountability Mechanism, with support from Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a governance programme.

With support from the World Bank-supported Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project, the Kaduna State government is working to increase girls’ access to secondary education in the state.

The project coordinator, Maryam Dangaji, said the project was supporting the renovation of 550 public secondary schools across the state.

Ms Dangaji said that a total of 155 new schools would be constructed, beginning with 62 schools in phase one, 36 junior and 26 senior secondary schools across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

She explained that only communities with only junior secondary schools would benefit from the projects.

(NAN)