Participants at a stakeholders meeting on education have called on Sokoto state government to ensure an all-inclusive education system to provide more children access to quality education in the state.
The participants, which included the District Head of Gagi, Alhaji Sani Umar-Jabbi, made the call at a town hall meeting of education stakeholders on Thursday in Sokoto.
They commended Non-Governmental Organisations, Rural Women and Youth Development (RUWOYD) and ActionAid Nigeria for anchoring a project toward increasing access to quality education in the state.
The educational project tagged “ Tax Justice and Gender Responsive Public Service and Breaking Barriers ” is supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD).
According to the participants, inclusive education is a system where both physically challenged and all category of students learn in a single school without marginalizing any group.
The participants, who broke into groups during the meeting, were unanimous in their observation that an all inclusive educational system was better to provide quality education.
The theme of the programme was ” Quality of Education and Sensitization on Inclusive Education for Girls and other Marginalised Children ” .
The participants commended the Sokoto State government for remarkable improvements and commitment which facilitated access to public education system across the state.
The group called for further improved educational infrastructure, teachers’ capacity, management coordination and parents teachers relationship.
They also noted that the state government’s budget preparation had been participatory with inputs from diverse actors and directed to be gender responsive, especially in relations to girls and marginalised children, women, youth and the vulnerable.
The Facilitator, Halima Yusuf, said that the project was aimed at ensuring that all children; especially girls and marginalised children, have access to free, quality, publicly-funded, inclusive education.
According to her, the effort is geared towards ensuring that governments take action to increase the size of national budgets by raising fair tax particularly corporate tax.
She said that governments should increase the share of funds allocated to and spent on free, quality, inclusive public education.
“A strong, active movement of community and civil society structures to effectively scrutinise education budgets and expenditure.
“Public education policies, systems and expenditure should be sensitive to rights of girls and marginalised children,” Yusuf said.
Also, Mr Olowu Claude, Coordinator, RUWOYD Monitoring and Evaluation, said the project was being implemented in Sokoto and Lagos states in Nigeria with total grant of 6.2 million dollars.
Claude said 30 schools were selected in Lagos and Sokoto states, adding that in Sokoto five schools have been selected in each of Binji, Tambuwal and Sokoto South Local Government Areas.
He said that the project was also initiated in Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania from July 2017 to Dec. 31, 202.(NAN)
