The Nasarawa State Government, through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Leadership and Empowerment (AGILE), has constituted a committee to domesticate the National Policy on Gender in Education.
The committee comprises stakeholders from various sectors, including ministries for education, Justice, Women’s Affairs, Youth and Sports, students, and civil society organizations, among others.
Speaking at an event of the inauguration of the committee on Thursday in Lafia, Hajiya Aishatu Aliyu-Isoga, Nasarawa State Project Coordinator (PC) of AGILE, said the project was an initiative of the Federal Government with support from the World Bank.
She added that the committee is an important milestone in achieving the objective of the AGULE project in the state because it would help to address the critical binding constraints adolescent girls face in their enrolment, retention, and completion in secondary schools.
The coordinator added that the domestication committee was necessitated because it is a prerequisite for all participating states for a successful takeoff and smooth operation.
“Without this committee, the project cannot proceed, it is now that we will begin to carry out projects and programmes to improve the enrolment of girl-child and ensure retention and completion,” she added.
“You will look at the national policy and proposed ways it can be implemented in our state based on our peculiarity for necessary legislative action at the House of Assembly,” she said.
On his part, Muhammad Bala, Permanent Secretary (PS), Ministry of Education, commended AGILE for the wonderful work it has been doing toward promoting girl-child education in the state.
The Permanent Secretary, represented by Mrs Glory Eje, Director of Quality Assurance at the ministry, expressed worry over the increase in the rate of gender-based violence in the state.
Bala added that the activities of AGILE and other organisations had helped encourage people to send their girl children to school.
He added that education for all was the topmost priority of the Gov. Abdullahi Sule-led administration which was why it has continued to be allocated the highest amount in the budget.
Also speaking, Abel Bala, House of Assembly Committee Chairman on Education, expressed gratitude to AGILE and other organizlsations for promoting girl-child education in the state.
He promised to support the bill for the domestication of the gender education policy to be given an accelerated hearing once the proposal is before the House of Assembly.
The terms of reference of the committee are to review the national policy and recommend what would be workable in the state based on its peculiarity. (NAN).