By Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
Save the Children International (SCI) has handed over newly renovated classrooms and latrines to schools in Chikun and Igabi Local Government Areas of Kaduna State under the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) project.
The organisation urged communities and school authorities to ensure proper maintenance and safeguard the facilities for children’s use.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, ECW Project Manager, Altine Lewi, said the initiative is funded by Education Cannot Wait with support from the Japanese Government.
She explained that the project focuses on supporting displaced and vulnerable children in northwestern Nigeria to ensure continuity in education.
“We are all aware of the situation in the northwestern states of Nigeria, where many children have been displaced due to insecurity, conflict, and the effects of climate change,” Lewi said. “ECW provided these funds to ensure that children, wherever they are, can attend school.”
She added that beyond rehabilitating classrooms and latrines, the project established alternative learning centres and enrolled out-of-school children into formal schools in collaboration with education authorities.
After three to four months of learning, interested pupils were reintegrated into formal education.
Lewi emphasised that the project prioritises children’s safety, noting that SCI worked with communities to create safe spaces where children receive life skills and protection education.
She said this helps them understand their rights and encourages them to seek support from parents and community members.
The organisation also conducted weekly sessions for parents and caregivers on positive parenting. “We do not discourage discipline, but we advocate that it should be done in a safe and constructive manner,” she said. “Children should understand that correction is meant to guide them, not to harm them.”
Lewi listed beneficiary schools to include Amana, Parda, Sabon Gida, Maraban-Rido, Rido, and Udawa, expressing hope that the facilities would be properly utilised for the benefit of pupils.
However, she raised concerns about poor sanitation practices in some schools. “If the facilities are not kept clean, children will not use them, and that defeats the purpose of the intervention,” she noted.
To address this, the project provided sanitation materials and called on school management and School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) to ensure cleanliness and proper maintenance. She also urged continued engagement with local governments, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and the Ministry of Education to provide water to schools lacking access.
Lewi further encouraged headteachers to monitor contractors during construction and report substandard work, while reminding stakeholders to utilise the project’s toll-free line to ensure accountability.
Headteachers of beneficiary schools commended SCI and ECW for improving learning environments, noting that the intervention has boosted attendance and morale among pupils, particularly girls.
They pledged to work with SBMCs to maintain the facilities.
Community leaders in Chikun and Igabi described the intervention as timely, especially for children affected by displacement, and promised to mobilise parents to take ownership of the projects.
“This school belongs to us, and we will protect it,” a community leader said.
Representing the Director of Social Mobilisation at SUBEB, Principal Social Mobilisation Officer, Asma’u Idris Lere, expressed appreciation to SCI for its support in Kaduna State.
She urged schools and SBMCs to take full ownership of the facilities and ensure their sustainability.
Also speaking, the Education Secretary of Igabi LGA, Yahaya Bala Yahaya, said two schools in the area benefited from the renovation of a two-classroom block, including an office and toilets. He noted that the facilities were previously in poor condition but have now significantly improved.
Yahaya thanked Save the Children International and the Kaduna State Government for the intervention and assured that the facilities would be properly maintained for long-term use.
