Pulse.ng : Kaduna’s education sector makes strides with PLANE programme support

By Sani Idris Abdulrahman,

Mrs Diana Agabi, State Team Lead for the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) Programme in Kaduna, has highlighted key achievements in the educational sector, courtesy of their organisation’s intervention in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PLANE programme, funded by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), aims to improve foundational learning outcomes.

Its interventions cut across six LGAs of Kaduna state.

Speaking to newsmen at the sideline of the 12th quarterly review meeting on Tuesday in Kaduna, Agabi said the programme has ensured a one-to-one ratio of learner to book in literacy and numeracy for all learners in its six intervention LGAs.

She added that teachers in the intervention LGAs have also been equipped with detailed guides to enhance instructional quality.

Agabi equally said that extensive teacher trainings have been conducted to boost pedagogical skills, while School Support Officers and School Mobilisation Officers provide close monitoring and mentorship.

She added tha the programme has mapped over 3,000 private schools and 512 Almajiri and Tsangaya centers, providing data for future interventions.

She, however, said challenges persist, including teacher shortages particularly in rural areas and pending policy endorsements such as the national School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) policy that was reviewed.

“Several strategic documents and plans developed with our support remain unimplemented. We call on the government to take ownership and begin full implementation, particularly as Kaduna prepares to benefit from the World Bank-funded HOPE Project,” she said.

The team lead disclosed that the PLANE programme is already providing technical support to help the state access grants under the initiative, which aims to scale interventions across all 23 LGAs, ensuring universal access to quality learning materials and improved learning outcomes.

Speaking further, Agabi said the review, which was PLANE’s last quarter of the third year, aimed at sharing findings from the year three activities, highlighting achievements and challenges.

“We have been working on this project since 2021, and we are now in our fourth year. Our objectives for this meeting are to identify some gaps in our progress and develop strategic solutions to address them. We are starting our year four quarter one activities and we would like to share our activities to align with the state’s plans and explore opportunities for collaboration,” she said.

Agabi emphasised that the meeting provides an opportunity for them to discuss progress, receive feedback, and explore ways to improve delivery and work together more effectively.

She expressed hope that policies like the School-Based Management Committee policy and non-state schools policy would be endorsed.

She restated PLANE’s commitment to working closely with the government and education stakeholders to scale up successes, address gaps, and ensure that every child in Kaduna state, whether in a public, private, or non-formal setting, has access to quality and foundational learning.

In a goodwill message, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Education, Prof Abubakar Sambo, emphasised resource allocation and sustained investment for quality education.

He said Governor Uba Sani is passionate about education, which is why he puts a lot of attention and seriousness on working with all partners like PLANE.

Sambo assured that in the next few months, the education sector in Kaduna state would see an upward rise.

Mr Mubarak Muhammad, the Acting Executive Chairman of Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB), appreciated the support and collaboration extended by PLANE.

He noted that through the programme, significant milestones have been recorded, including policy reviews and implementations.

Muhammad noted that one of the pressing challenges in Kaduna’s education sector is the issue of out-of-school children, which Governor Senator Uba Sani has initiated programmes to address.

He lamented that the education sector’s efforts are often underreported.

He expressed the need for the Ministry of Education to showcase its progress and communicate achievements more effectively.

Muhammad emphasised the importance of data, stating that the government has adopted the State Bureau of Statistics as the single source of truth for official education data.

Equally, Hassan Abdullahi, Deputy Project Coordinator of Reaching Out-Of-School Children (ROOSC), cited shared goals and PLANE’s invaluable support. (NAN)