Kebbi State Governor, Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris has flagged off the construction and upgrade of 120 secondary schools across the state valued at N8.9b.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday at Bubuche in Arugungu Local Government Area, the Governor said the gesture was meant to reposition the education sector in the state.
He explained that the program which was under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) in collaboration with the World Bank and Dominat Engineering Limited was aimed at promoting the education sector by providing a conducive learning environment for children.
“This flag-off will occasion the constitution of new schools designed to upgrade 120 schools from primary school to junior secondary and junior secondary to senior secondary schools under AGILE,” he added.
Idris pointed out that his administration desired to change the educational fortune of the state for the better by creating the “best enabling environment that will promote enhance and institute the education of girl-child in the fabrics of our society.”
He, therefore, noted with satisfaction that the administration wasted no time in giving education its place of prominence and priority, adding, “For us, education is a priority and good education for the girl-child is our guarded and guided obligation that must be promoted and sustained at all cost.
“We are therefore committed to the faithful facilitation and positive implementation of the AGILE program in the state,” he said.
The Governor observed that the introduction of AGILE had yielded positive outcomes which culminated in an increase in the enrolment of adolescent girls by 40% and most of them had proceeded to obtain their secondary school certificates.
“The program has improved the physical infrastructural condition of our schools with 294 schools getting small grants while 93 receiving big grants,” he noted.
Giving the breaking down of the beneficiaries, the Secretary to State Government, Alhaji Yakubu Bala-Tafida said the gesture would reach all the 21 Local Government Areas of the state towards giving the girl-child sound education.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Hon. Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Abubakar Magaji-Nairuwa thanked the governor for supporting the program.
He said the AGILE project would complement the state government’s efforts in changing the faces of the schools in the state.
Responding, the State Projects Coordinator, Aliyu Mohammed-Birnin-Kebbi restated his readiness to support the state in upgrading some schools.
