Isiyaku Ahmed
Kebbi State Governor’s wife Hajia Zainab Nasare Nasir Idris has expressed concern over the number of out-of-school children in the state.
Khadijat Saidu, the spokesperson to the governor’s wife in a statement on Wednesday said Hajia Nasare expressed her concern at the government house in Birnin Kebbi during an interactive section with female leaders of the National Youth Council of Nigeria NYCN and National Union of Kebbi State Student NUKESS.
She urged parents to live up to their moral and religious responsibilities and support the government in providing quality education to their children.
According to her, lack of access to quality education is among the causes pushing young people into banditry, kidnapping, and other social ills.
The governor’s wife promised that the state government would ensure that students learn skills and trades in their lower levels of education to become self-reliant and move away from social vices.
While assuring that she would come up with a program to tackle some of the social challenges, Nasare charged the students to join hands with her to create awareness of hygiene and GBV.
Earlier, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs in the state, Hajia Aisha Muhammad-Maikurata said aside from the out-of-school children, gender-based violence has also been on the increase; over 39 rape cases were recorded between January and June, regretting that GBV had become rampant across the state.
She charged the students to be vigilant and assist in exposing any case to put an end to the menace.
On her part, the wife of the Secretary to the State Government, Hajiya Asma’u Bala-Tafidan Yauri attributed the problems of education to many factors, adding that teachers in Kebbi needed training and retraining to impart qualitative education.
She advised people especially the privileged ones to pay back to society by assisting their former schools in whatever form, to enhance access to education.
Earlier, the students pointed out many problems militating against the growth of education in the state.
Bahalura Muhammad-Marafa, President of NUKESS lamented the shortage of teachers, hostel accommodation, and basic infrastructure in most schools in the state.
While Zinatu Yusuf of NYCN advocated for free menstrual pads for young girls to address the problem of menstrual hygiene among young girls in the state.
