By Mustapha Salisu
Hafsat Aminu Adhama, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on Girl Child Education (GCE), has initiated a project aimed at reintegrating 500 girls who had previously dropped out of school due to unfavorable circumstances in various Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kano State.
The project’s launch coincided with the distribution of ‘Back to School Kits’ for the students during the Girl Child Education Summit organized by the Office of the SSA on GCE in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning & Empowerment, Kano State (AGILE).
The summit, themed “Building Kano’s Future: Advocacy on Girl Child Education,” took place at Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, on Saturday. Orphans and less privileged students were among the beneficiaries of the school kits.
Speaking to PRIME TIME NEWS, convener of the event, Hafsa Aminu Adhama, explained that the summit aimed to raise awareness among young ladies and their parents about the importance of education and its impact on their lives.
Adhama mentioned her office’s plan to launch a campaign to return young girls hawking on the streets of Kano back to school. Also following the program, they will embark on a campaign to sensitize traditional rulers, parents, and stakeholders in rural communities about the significance of girl child education, discouraging street hawking.
She added that the collaboration with AGILE includes plans to implement a conditional cash transfer on a monthly basis to young girls to discourage street hawking and encourage focus on their studies.
Adhama noted, “The motive behind this is because if you ask them to stop hawking, they will complain about their daily income for sustainability, so the conditional cash transfer will bridge that gap of demand.”
The Kano State Commissioner for Education, Umar Haruna Doguwa, commended Adhama for effectively executing the mandate of Girl Child Education given by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Doguwa emphasized Governor Yusuf’s commitment to promoting quality education for the girl child by extension their male counterparts, as reflected in the allocation of 30% of the recent 2024 budget to education, a milestone not achieved by any state nationwide.
Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil while speaking to newsmen, stressed the importance of girl child education, stating that educating a woman is equivalent to educating a nation due to their compassion and humanity.
He urged young girls to use social media positively and avoid promoting unlawful content that could harm their reputation.
The summit also featured the appointment of new volunteers/assistants as informants in various wards and LGAs to support and report cases related to the girl child. Also, a panel discussion titled “Career Building for Girls: Challenges, Solutions, and Achievements” provided insights into building a career.
Dignitaries present at the summit delivered motivational speeches on upholding morality on social media, female hygiene, gender-based violence, and empowerment of women and the girl child.
