Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has restated his administration’s commitment to addressing the issue of the growing number of out-of-school children in Zamfara State.
The governor launched the Zamfara State Pilot School Feeding Programme on Thursday, at Dan-turai Primary School in Gusau, the state capital.
A statement by the spokesman of Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Idris, disclosed that the school feeding programme, will enable pupils to access, enroll, retain, complete and transition to higher levels of education.
Governor Lawal noted that the flag-off signifies his administration’s strong commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to implement various strategies, to increase school children enrollment in Zamfara State.
The statement read in part, “Our commitment to reform includes initiatives to combat sector decay, and foster partnerships, such as with the World Bank through the AGILE program and with UNICEF. Recently, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, in collaboration with UNICEF, formed a technical committee of agency heads and stakeholders, to visit 14 local governments, identify out-of-school children, and facilitate their reintegration into schools.
“The school feeding programme, which we are flagging off today, is part of the emergency response initiatives to promote enrollment and retention of pupils in schools, while fighting hunger and malnutrition.
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This is in addition to our engagement efforts with two other NGOs, the International Center for Economic Development and the FINPACT Development Foundation, which have agreed to support the state in implementing a pilot programme, to serve as a learning ground for programme implementers and the state government.”
In more specific terms, the FINPACT Development Foundation will sponsor the feeding of 1000 pupils in Gusau, Maru, Anka, and Talatar Mafara, while the International Center for Economic Development is sponsoring the feeding of 3300 across Gusau, Talatar Mafara, and Shinkafi.
He charged all relevant stakeholders and other donor agencies to explore more ways of providing more activities and programmes, as this will not only enhance their commitment to the provision of quality and inclusive education, but it will also reduce to the barest minimum, the menace of out-of-school children, so that together they can make Zamfara State a shining example.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
