JUST IN: Kano govt releases N1bn for girl child education

The Kano State Government has so far released more than N1.02 billion for girls’ education related projects in its 2022 budget.

The co-chair, Girl Education Partnership, Mairo Bello, made this known in Kano on Saturday, at the dissemination of the Kano State 2022 girl education budget performance with citizens and relevant stakeholders.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the dissemination was supported by Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn, a governance programme of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Bello explained that while N868.6 million was released for girls’ specific budget lines, N155.5 million were released for both boys and girls related education projects.

She said that of the N868.6 million, N32.9 million was for feeding, N116.6 million for transitional examination, N177.6 million for National Examination Council, and N90 million for National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies examination.

Others, she said, included N12 million for the State Agency for Mass Education, while N132 million was released for renovations of girls’ secondary schools.

She added that N12.5 million was also released for repairs of shuttle buses for transportation of girls to school, under the state’s Girl Education Project.

She particularly commended the state government for the release of 12.5 million for the repair of 20 shuttle buses for the transportation of girls to schools within the metropolitan towns of the state.

She explained that the development was the result of consistent advocacy to government agencies by citizens groups to push for increased investment on girls’ education.

“This is a milestone for us, because the shuttle buses will support in transporting girls from poor households to school at no cost.

“This will significantly increase girls’ access to education by removing transportation and distance barriers.

“It also provides security as a safety measure by taking the girls from their homes to school and returning them back to their houses safely.

“This, in the long run, will increase girls’ school enrolment, retention, transition, and completion,” she said.

She said that an analysis of the 2021 budget supported by PERL, shows that only three per cent of the total state budget was specific to girls’ interventions.

This, she said, prompted the citizens group to conduct a series of advocacy to relevant government agencies to increase budgetary allocation for specific girls’ education interventions.