The Governor of Kaduna, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has set a new pace with his recent declaration of free education for girls in all state-owned secondary schools. According to him, this is aimed at making sure girl-child education is given the much need importance.
This decision by the Kaduna government is the first in the country which comes with a long-term effect on two societal issues. This will address the increasing numbers of out-of-school children in the North and also address the existing low level of girl child education in the North.
Available data from UNESCO and other developmental partners have placed the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria as the highest in the world while the majority of this statistics is made up of females from the Northern part of Nigeria. This is not the first time the Kaduna government is showing its commitment to education as it previously embarked on the retrenchment of incompetent teachers in the state in a bid to reposition the state’s education sector. This latest decision is another addition to the educational strides of El-Rufai in Kaduna.
It is also important to state that there is an existing free education policy in the state in accordance with UBE regulations but this new decision will see the extension of the Kaduna free education policy beyond the UBE nine years coverage. The timing of this decision is precise as its coming at a time civil society organisations and other educational partners are calling for an amendment of the UBE act. El-Rufai has led the pack of those contributing their quota to Nigeria’s education sector and it’s highly commendable.
For Kaduna female students, it’s a new beginning.
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