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Bauchi State Government says it will focus on eleven key areas of challenge towards overcoming the existing gaps in the delivery of quality education across the state.
The Director Planning, Research and Statistics DPRS State Universal Basic Education Board SUBEB Dr Sadiq Ilelah gave the hint at the end of a three day Media Dialogue on the close out of UNICEF GEP 3 project in Bauchi.
The Media Dialogue which brought together fifty journalists from Bauchi and Niger states as well as the FCT, was aimed at ensuring sustainability in promoting Girls’ Education through media reportage after the project close out.
Dr Sadiq Ilelah said media stakeholders from Bauchi, Niger and FCT Abuja have identified areas of challenge in the basic and post basic education sub sectors to include security, record keeping, infrastructure, training, WASH facilities and underfunding among others, hence the resolve of the government to work in that direction.
While urging journalists to always ensure objectivity and accurate representation of facts when reporting or publishing their findings, Dr Sadiq Ilelah described as impressive the initiative of establishing a menstrual bank by UNICEF and partners.
Earlier, the UNICEF Chief of Field Office Bauchi Dr Tushar Rane said the field trip by participants has afforded government, sponsors and other partners to have first class information on the successes and challenges of the GEP 3 project.
Dr Tushar Rane who commended the participants for identifying the gaps in equitable distribution and access to learning, called for the adoption of Community School Compact as the most reliable way of securing schools.
On his part, the Senior Education Manager UNICEF Field Office Kano Michael Banda who noted that the total target for girls enrolment in six GEP 3 participating states of Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Sokoto and Zamfara was one million, expressed optimism that by the end of the project in September the enrolment figure would have reached 1.4 million.
Michael Banda who is also the GEP 3 Manager further disclosed that UNICEF from inception to date has expended 1.9 million dollars FCDO funds on the project which started in 2012.
The project which started initially with five states, added Kano in 2018 to make it six.
Abubakar Baba
