Pulse.ng : UNICEF trains Kaduna officials on budget tracking for education

By Sani Idris Abdulrahman

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has trained Kaduna State officials on budget tracking and analysis for education.

The officials trained cut across the three zones in the state.

They included; Heads of Department (HODs), officers from various Ministries and Agencies, local government officials, primary school staff, Ministry of Education representatives, Directors of Planning’, and Directors of Finance, among others.

At the end of the three-day training on Wednesday in Kaduna,

Bala Dada, the Education Officer for UNICEF in Kaduna, said that the training brought together finance, budget, and planning experts to learn about budget tracking and analysis.

According to him, this is to enable them to report better and make the education sector management more effective.

He explained that the training was part of the ‘Reaching Out of School’ project, targeting children in Kaduna State, especially those out-of-school.

Dada stated that the goal was for the finance officers to influence decision-makers to allocate and release budgets better for out-of-school children.

He said that the main challenge that informed the training was the depth of information about expenditure on education.

Dada, however, said while Kaduna State’s budget allocation was one of the highest, local government-level information on education expenditure was not readily available.

He urged them to pick at least one or two concrete things to learn and apply to their work, expecting a change by the next budget cycle.

Prof. Yahaya Ibrahim, Executive Secretary of Kaduna State Scholarship and Loans Board, said the training is a bottom-up and top-bottom programme where everyone was carried along.

He added, “It is fantastic because everyone who was supposed to be around, was around.”

He explained that the training focused on planning budgets, identifying needs, and determining responsibilities.

Ibrahim said, “The participants had leart about the importance of quality teachers, teacher-pupil ratio, and performance indicators.”

He said that the programme was worthwhile and urged the participants to cascade the knowledge down to their younger staff.

Ibrahim emphasised the importance of being nationalistic and considering the impact on future generations.

Vahyala Kwaga, a facilitator at the training, said they were providing rigorous, hands-on training and capacity building to public officials in the state.

He added that the training aimed to improve and provide skills in results-based budgeting.

Kwaga explained that the training would enhance education in several ways, ensuring funding is used effectively and efficiently, and promoting transparency and accountability in public administration.

“It will increase the competence and managerial skills of civil servants,”Kwaga said.

He added that Nigeria practices separation of powers, and the legislature’s participation was crucial for effective budget oversight.

“The training will ensure that funds are used in the best way possible to ensure positive impacts for teachers, students, and Kaduna State,”he said.

Nurudeen Ramalan, a participant, said the programme was important to the educational system, as it enhanced vital activities in teaching and learning.

He added that considering the training, budget would improve the educational system in the state.

Joshua Yakubu, another participant, said he had been trained on planning budgets and including key indicators.

He said that budget planning required carefulness, and the budget must be effective, efficient, and cost-effective.(NAN)