The Katsina State Government has facilitated the return of 42,782 out-of-school children to classrooms as part of its ongoing efforts to revitalize education in the state.
This initiative, according to the government, aims to drastically reduce the alarming number of children deprived of formal education due to the devastating effects of insurgency and poverty.
The effort was facilitated through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), a comprehensive project aimed at expanding educational opportunities and equipping girls with essential life skills.
Launched in response to disturbing findings from a 2019–2020 survey, the initiative targeted communities across Katsina where it was discovered that over half of primary school pupils were not transitioning to junior secondary school, with girls representing the majority of those affected.
The AGILE Project Coordinator in Katsina, Mustapha Shehu, revealed the figures during a one-day community sensitisation campaign themed “Strengthening Community Support for Girls’ Education through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT).”
“Since the project began, we’ve enrolled 42,782 girls back in school through three successful cohorts,” Shehu stated.
According to him, AGILE has also economically empowered more than 115,000 households since its inception.
“So far, in the fourth cohort, scholarships and financial support have been disbursed to over 43,000 girls and about 48,000 parents,” he noted.
Shehu also highlighted some of the challenges facing the initiative, including the improper collection of more than 2,900 ATM cards meant for CCT beneficiaries.
“Many cards remain unclaimed because they were picked up by individuals other than the intended recipients,” he added.
The project’s CCT Coordinator, Kubrah Muhammad, explained that AGILE is a World Bank-supported intervention designed to increase girls’ enrollment, retention, and completion rates in secondary schools across targeted Nigerian states.
“Our goal is to not only provide access to education but also to create a safe and conducive environment for girls to learn.
This includes renovating classrooms, improving school infrastructure, and offering both scholarships and conditional cash transfers,” she said.
The Katsina State Government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting education reforms that prioritize adolescent girls and promote long-term social development through learning.
