From: Femi Oyelola in Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has officially launched a comprehensive community sensitization and education initiative to tackle the persistent issue of out-of-school children, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
This initiative is part of the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) project, a four-year program aimed at enrolling 200,000 out-of-school children across the state.
The campaign was inaugurated in the Ungwan Shanu community in the Kaduna North Local Government Area.
It was attended by various stakeholders, including traditional leaders, religious groups, community elders, and development partners.
The project is being implemented through the Kaduna State Ministry of Education’s Project Management Unit, in collaboration with organizations such as the Islamic Development Bank, Global Partnership for Education, Education Above All, Save the Children, and UNICEF.
Ezra Angai, the ROOSC Project Coordinator in Kaduna State, explained that the project is a multi-faceted intervention designed to make quality education accessible to all children, regardless of their backgrounds, through formal and non-formal education systems.
“As part of the project, we will build 102 new schools and renovate 170 existing ones, including learning centers. The initiative also includes a strong advocacy component, such as the Back to School Campaign, to raise awareness about the importance of education,” Angie stated.
