Northern Pulse

By Sani Idris Abdulrahman

Education as a Vaccine Girl advocates and community stakeholders in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State have committed to improving girls' education and producing reusable sanitary pads for 10,000 girls.

The commitments were made at a one-day community town hall meeting organised by Education as a Vaccine (EVA), with funding support from Malala Fund, under its All In: Fostering Accountability for Girls' Education (FAGE) project.

The meeting brought together students, school principals, traditional leaders, women groups, EVA girl advocates and community representatives to address challenges affecting access to quality education.

Participants identified inadequate water supply, poor sanitation, teacher shortages, insecurity, dilapidated school infrastructure and inadequate learning materials as major obstacles to education.

Peace Micah, a girl advocate from Crossing community said the absence of water and sanitary facilities prevented many girls from attending school during their monthly periods.She explained that girls were sometimes forced to stay at home because they lacked water to maintain personal hygiene during menstruation.

On his part, John FearChrist lamented the shortage of teachers, laboratories, libraries and instructional materials, saying several secondary schools in the community lacked essential learning facilities.

Josephine Joshua, a science student disclosed that she completed secondary school without entering a laboratory, despite studying science subjects.

She said the situation left her unfamiliar with laboratory equipment and would require additional training before proceeding to university.

The girl advocates also raised concerns over inadequate laboratory chemicals, dilapidated library buildings, insufficient chairs and the absence of first-aid facilities.

They called for improved school security, noting that several schools lacked perimeter fences, exposing learners to possible attacks by bandits and other security threats.

The advocates also reported walking between three and five kilometres to school along unsafe routes.

School principals corroborated the concerns, describing severe teacher shortages, collapsed buildings, dysfunctional toilets and inadequate administrative facilities.

Simon John, a principal said the school hall collapsed during the rainy season, while parts of the library and staff room were also close to collapsing.

The principal added that some teachers were reluctant to work in insecure communities, while others handled multiple subjects because of inadequate staffing.

Participants also identified parental attitudes as another challenge, particularly during harvest seasons when some parents withdrew children, especially girls, from school for farm work.

Adamu Dauda, a community leader said missing classes during critical academic periods affected girls' performance and could eventually discourage them from continuing their education.

The meeting also highlighted inadequate career guidance, sexual harassment and the absence of counselling services as challenges affecting students' academic development.

Josephine Joshua, a girl advocate expressed concern that some young people were abandoning education because they believed schooling would not guarantee employment.

She said the growing perception that school was a scam had encouraged some youths to pursue informal activities, including artisanal mining.

Facilitating the discussion, Mr Simeon Olatunde, Secretary of the Kaduna Basic Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM), emphasised the importance of community participation in addressing educational challenges.

Olatunde shared his experience of how a teacher's intervention, including payment of his final-year school fees, helped redirect his life from artisanal mining and possible criminal activities.

He said the intervention enabled him to gain admission into the University of Ibadan at the age of 27, where he worked hard to overcome his early educational disadvantages.

He also cited the Seventh Day Primary School Agodi-Gate, Ibadan, Oyo State, where residents collectively rehabilitated a deteriorating public school.

According to him, the community provided security, refurbished desks and mobilised donated textbooks to improve the school's learning environment.

Olatunde urged Kachia residents to adopt similar community-driven approaches while engaging government authorities on their educational responsibilities.

In a related development, Zachariah Waje the secretary of Community Development Charter (CDCs) across Kachia's 12 wards identified gaps between community development priorities and actual budget implementation.

They pledged to integrate girl advocates into advocacy engagements with state lawmakers, local government officials and relevant ministries.

The arrangement is expected to strengthen demands for improved classrooms, school fencing, water facilities and adequate teacher deployment.

As part of the commitments, EVA disclosed that 30 out-of-school girls had already been re-enrolled in Kachia under the Malala Fund-supported project.

The girls were provided with school uniforms, books and other essential learning materials.

Education as A Vaccine (EVA), is committed to collaborating with the Kachia Local Government Education Authority and One Tribe Initiative to train 40 Girl Advocates in Kachia LGA on the production of reusable sanitary pads. Following the training, the 40 trained Girl Advocates will be deployed to various schools across Kachia LGA and other parts of Kaduna State to educate, empower, and support schoolgirls with the knowledge and skills to produce and use reusable sanitary pads. This initiative aims to reach at least 10,000 girls, promoting menstrual hygiene management, reducing period poverty, and improving girls’ school attendance and retention.

School administrators also pledged to introduce free and compulsory remedial lessons lasting between 30 and 60 minutes daily to support students struggling with basic learning skills.

Female teachers and community leaders committed to engaging parents who withdraw their daughters from school for domestic and agricultural activities.

They also pledged to provide continuous career guidance, particularly on appropriate Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) subject combinations.

Community representatives further agreed to mobilise university undergraduates and educated elders to provide volunteer teaching support in core subjects.

The stakeholders stressed the need for collective responsibility among government, communities, civil society organisations and development partners to improve educational outcomes.

They said sustained collaboration, accountability and grassroots advocacy would help address barriers preventing girls from accessing quality education.