From Umar Dankano, Yola
The Adamawa state government has vow to sustain the Accelerated Basic Education Program (ABEP) meant for addressing the challenge of out-of-school children bedeviling most states in the country.
Commissioner for Education and Human services Department, Garba Umar Pella gave the commitment during a sustainability assurance interface between the Unicef officials, Ministry of education officials, experts and media practitioners in Yola Friday as part of wrap up activities for the Global Partnership in Education (GPE-AF) project in the state.
Represented by Permanent secretary of Ministry, Hajiya Aisha Muhammad Umar, Garba Pella expressed gratitude to the implementing partners stressing that the program has created a window for the children that dropped out of school to have another opportunity to continue their education pursuit through both formal and Non formal arrangements.
Pella assured that the Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s administration is solidly keen to its responsibility especially in the education sector which is the bedrock of all developments pledging to ensure the program continue in all the 123 learning centres formed across the three pilot local government areas including Gombi, Lamurde and Madagali.
Pella stated that, the project of sangaya and Early Children Education (ECE) will help in reducing out -of-school children likewise,funding would not affect sustainability of the project asserting that, the Ministry’s budgetary allocations would no doubt accommodate the expenditures associated with the facilitation of the program in the state.
In his presentation on the state’s GPE-AF planned and Achieved results, Godwin Kure Luncky, the Ministry of Education Unicef focal person explained that when the program was introduced last year,the state government targeted 7,200 learners but was able to realized 12000 learners accessing Accelerated Basic Education Program (ABEP) in the three pilot local councils.
Lucky declared that the back to school campaign conducted by the Ministry, its implementing partners with the support of traditional and religious leaders added enrollments of more learners in to formal and Non formal schools highlighting that 48 schools were targeted for the GPE project in the three local government areas.
He listed challenges encountered in the program to include; anticipation of cash disbursement by members of the community especially in out-of-school children and enrollment of learners in to Accelerated Basic Education Program (ABEP) inadequate monitoring at community level by the state and local government area teams as well as flood.
While offering recommendations he stated that there is need to develop a clear strategy for ownership and sustainability of the program at the community level, strengthening of supply chain planning to ensure timely procurement and delivery of kits and materials among others.
Earlier delivering a lecture on overview of the GPE project,Dr.Abdulrahaman Ado, Education Specialist, Unicef Bauchi Field Office announced that the GPE-AF project is being implemented in three (3) states of the North East region including Adamawa, Borno and Yobe with a view to create a sound education sector.
Specialist Ado maintained that the aims of project are to provide access to safe and inclusive education continuity, inclusive quality crisis responsive learning and skills development (Recovery in medium term) and resilience initiatives for education systems and responses.
According to him, the programme target s children of Five (5) to fourteen (14) years of age who are out-of-school
He added that program commenced around July/August 2024 and will be ending by 30th September 2025 in Adamawa state declaring that there is no room for extension urging the state government to do all it takes to ensure continuity of the program for betterment of all and sundry in the state.
Similarly a monitoring and evaluation filed trip by the implementing partners and government officials in company of journalists to Gombi LGA witnessed a programme of distribution of menstrual hygiene kits to adolescent girls which was meant for 2,250 girls across the 3 benefitting councils(Lamurde, Gombi and Madagali) simultaneously.