From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna.
The Governor of Niger state, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has reiterated the need for free and compulsory girl child education.
Aliyu said this at a flag- off ceremony of pilot distribution of school uniforms to JSS 1 female students at Munya local government area of the state.
He said following the over 10million out of school children recorded against Nigeria, the need to renew efforts to reduce education deficit cannot be over emphasised adding that girl child education should be prioritized.
’It is important to ensure that female children are well educated. When you train a man, you train an individual but when you train a woman, you train a nation’, the governor said.
He said it is the responsibility of government at all levels to ensure provision of free education from primary to junior secondary school adding that failure to comply with this has forced many school age children out of school insisting that the girl child is most affected.
Aliyu whose administration introduced free education for school age children has since achieved an increased enrollment from 600, 000 students to over 1.2 million registered students.
He therefore, directed all the 25 local government chairmen to replicate government effort by flagging off their own free girl child educational materials.
He said part of the directive for local government is to ensure that they should help sensitize parents and school age students adding that despite the free education policy by the state government, girl child education enrolment in rural areas need to be scaled up.
He thanked UNICEF, DFID and other development partners adding that he is convinced education for girl child in the state will improve once the pilot program is sustained.
