Parents in Katsina State have called on the government to initiate a free transport system for female students across the state.

According to them, if such a transport system is provided, it will encourage girl-child enrollment in primary school and their transition to secondary school.

The parents made the call during a transition commitment town hall meeting in Katsina Local Government Area (LGA) on Saturday.

Speaking on their behalf, Musa Lawal said distance was one of the reasons some parents found it difficult to send their children to school, especially in rural areas.

He, therefore, said there is a need for the government to provide such a transport system to support them, especially due to the current challenges following the fuel subsidy removal.

Mr Lawal commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for supporting the government in improving the enrollment and transition of female students to secondary school.

He advised other parents that Western education could not stop their children from going to Islamic school but would make the children different from others in terms of their interaction.

“Lack of adequate learning materials, classes, and qualified teachers in some schools are some of the challenges discouraging us from sending our children to school.

“There is a need for parents to give their children a good upbringing because most of them these days don’t care about the whereabouts of their children and their associates.

“There is also the need for members of the communities to assist the government by supporting the schools in their areas instead of always depending on the government.

Addressing journalists, Ngozi Izuara-Songu, an adolescent specialist with the UNICEF Lagos field office, said that out of their 5,450 targets for girls transitioning to secondary school in Katsina, they achieved over 50 per cent.

According to her, UNICEF will not relent in its effort to support the government to ensure more enrollment of girl children in school and their transition to secondary school and completion.

Ms Izuara-Songu added that the transition commitment meetings with primary six girls, parents, and guardians across six LGAs had recorded huge success.

She pointed out that the meeting was aimed at assessing and proposing solutions to barriers hindering girls from transitioning to junior secondary schools for effective and efficient learning to thrive in the state.

Halimatu Umar, the education secretary of Katsina LGA, commended the gesture, promising to see that the majority of teachers in girls’ schools in the state were females.

According to her, that will also encourage the parents to send their children to school and also allow the girl children to pay more attention during classes.

(NAN)