24th September, 2015
Photo: Idowu Ogunleye/PM News
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has handed over a N350 million girl-child secondary school in Dengi community of Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau to the state government.
Dr Dikko Suleiman, the Executive Secretary, UBEC, said at the handover ceremony on Thursday at Kanam, that the school was one of the four Girl-child Junior Secondary School intervention projects in Plateau.
He said it was meant for girls from eight to 13 years and was part of the 2013 to 2014 intervention by UBEC, to improve access to learning for grassroots communities.
The executive secretary, who was represented by his deputy in charge of services, Dr Yakubu Gambo, said that such projects were also ongoing in three other local government areas of the state – Mikang, Bassa and Barkin Ladi.
He explained that the emphasis on girl-child junior secondary intervention project was to help address the large number of girls hawking in the northern part of the country.
“The emphasis on girl-child is to be able to mop up street girls in the northern part of Nigeria where hawking is very popular.
“These girls are exposed to harassment and other dangers because of their vulnerability.’’
Suleiman urged the Plateau Government to partner with stakeholders in the community to provide the manpower needed to make the school operational.
“The intervention programme will also provide employment opportunities for people in the community, thus improving their standard of living,’’ he said.
Prof Matthew Sule, the Executive Chairman, Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), advised the community to ensure that every child of school age was enrolled in school.
Sule stressed that education was the driving force for development.
In his remarks, the Emir of Kanam, Muhammadu Muhammad II, thanked the Federal Government for selecting their community for the intervention projects.
Muhammad promised that school age girls in the area would be encouraged to enroll.
“We will discuss with parents of the girls to enable the school to have the population required and be guided by the enrolment requirements of UBEC,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the commission has also handed over a 250-capacity examination hall and an administrative block to Government Secondary School, Du, in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau.
Suleiman, who was represented by Gambo at the handing over ceremony, said that the structures were provided to create an enabling environment for learning.
He noted that many public schools do not have conducive examination halls to write their junior and senior secondary school certificate exams.
“With an enabling environment, standard of education will improve.
“There will also be no embarrassment from the examination bodies that such public schools do not meet part of the criteria for writing the Junior or Secondary School certificate exams.’’
He said the intervention programme was ongoing in 50 schools across the 17 local government areas of the state, adding that some had been completed.
Mr Christopher Bello, the Permanent Secretary, Secondary School Education, Plateau Ministry of Education, promised to ensure the facilities were maintained.
Bello commended UBEC for the intervention programmes in Junior Secondary schools, adding that this would lead to improvement in the performance of the students.
The Principal of the School, Mrs Susan Dalyop, said that the new structures had led to increase in the enrolment of students in the school.