Out-of-school children: SMOs commit to proffering solutions

No fewer than 92 Social Mobilisation Officers (SMOs) trained on improving basic education and bringing children back to school in Kaduna State have highlighted challenges while restating their commitment to being part of the solution.

The  SMOs, drawn from the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state underwent a six-day training expected to be cascaded to School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) across their LGAs.

The training, supported by UNICEF, was in collaboration with the Kaduna State Government and the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) project, among other development partners.

In an interview with some of the SMOs on the closing day of the training  in Kaduna, they expressed confidence in their newfound ability to tackle the growing number of out-of-school children.

One of the participants, Ahmed Aliyu, Head of Department (HOD) for Social Mobilisation in Soba LGA, said he had learnt about effective advocacy and community visits to SBMCs, which would help them interact with their communities and identify out-of-school children.

Aliyu, who also serves as the state’s Forum Chairman for HODs of Social Mobilisation, emphasised that the training would ultimately benefit the children, saying, “the ultimate goal of this training is for the children.”

An SMO from Zaria LGA, Aishatu Abdulkadir, stated that although they were trained about 13 years ago, the reviewed manual added new insights.

She added that the training would help them engage traditional leaders and women in bringing out-of-school children back to school.

 Abdulkadir emphasised that the training would enable them to develop strategies to engage communities, parents, and children’s peer groups on the best ways to bring out-of-school children back to school.

 “We will engage traditional leaders and women, as they are very important. We will use various methods, including drama and town hall meetings,” she said.

 The participant stressed the importance of collaboration with traditional leaders and government agencies.

Abdulkadir called on traditional leaders and local government councils to enforce laws prohibiting child labor and penalise parents of children found hawking during school hours.

She expressed confidence that the training would significantly impact the number of out-of-school children in the state, adding that her newfound skills and knowledge would make a positive difference in her LGA.

 Similarly, David Obadiah, an SMO from Kachia LGA, said that the training helped him understand the nature of children’s participation and participatory learning, which was crucial for his job.

“This learning is important because I always deal with communities,” he said.

Obadiah emphasised that they would work closely with communities to identify and support out-of-school children, highlighting the importance of sensitizing communities on the need to educate their children.

He stated that the training would impact the children, as SBMC members and communities would become more aware of how to handle their children.

Obadiah added that the training would help address issues of gender-based violence and child abuse.

He restated their commitment to making Kaduna State free from out-of-school children.

The Gender Focal Person for UNICEF in Kaduna, Dr Idris Baba, emphasised the importance of incorporating gender dynamics into the conversation on education.

Baba, who doubles as a Health Specialist, statedd that gender remained a critical issue in education and development, particularly in Northern Nigeria.

He highlighted the need for balance and equity in gender participation, emphasising that the discussion should not solely focus on girls but also consider the challenges faced by boys.

The ultimate goal, he said, was to ensure that both genders were brought along and that disadvantaged groups, including children with disabilities are included in the conversation.