An NGO, the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), has called on the Kaduna State Government to increase funding for the state to achieve inclusive education for all.
The State Coordinator of CSACEFA, Mrs Theresa Biniyat, made the call when the organisation visited Mr Mahmuda Suleiman, the acting Education Secretary of Kaduna North Local Government Education Authority in his office on Friday.
Biniyat explained that the call was in line with the 2021 Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) with the theme, “More and Better Financing for Education.’’
She said that the objective of the visit was to demand better financing of the education sector that would ensure inclusive and equitable access to quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all in Kaduna State.
She said that increasing the education budget and cash backing of allocated funds would enable Kaduna State to make school facilities inclusive for all children to learn and become better citizens in the future.
Biniyat described inclusive education as an education system where both the able and the disabled children, including those with `special educational needs’ learn together in schools.
“The education system must, therefore, remove all barriers for disabled learners by making all schools accessible to all.
“But for this to happen, the state government must increase investment in the education sector.
“We commended the Kaduna State Government for making education a priority sector, but we want the government to do more.
“The state government must ensure that funding is not only increased, but the allocated funds are timely released and cash backed,” she said.
Responding, the Acting Education Secretary, Mr Mahmuda Suleiman, thanked CSACEFA for the visit and the support to improve the delivery of basic education in the state.
Suleiman said that the state government was doing all that it could to improve access to inclusive education in the state.
He, however, pointed out that government’s sources of revenue had drastically reduced due to COVID-19.
He urged the organised private sector and development partners to support the government to provide functional basic education. (NAN)
