Bauchi – To help students learn during the COVID-19-induced school break, USAID through the Northern Education Initiative Plus project has partnered with UNICEF, Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) , state radio and television boards, and local universities to develop a multimedia e-learning program that will reach 1.7 primary, secondary, and koranic school students in the state. The lessons
The Northern Education Initiative Plus project encourages community participation while working to provide basic education across 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Sokoto and Bauchi states. Women groups volunteer to visit house-to-house to educate parents of the benefits of sending their children to school. They engage community leaders who in turn lend their support to the importance of education. These
Employing qualified teachers is central to achieving basic quality education. Standards of education are lowered when there is no policy in place to regulate the recruitment of trained and qualified teachers. In 2012, the Northern Education Initiative in collaboration with policy-level officials from the education sector developed the Bauchi State Teacher Recruitment and (TRD) policy document. This policy document was
At the Da’awa Non-formal learning centre in Zango community, Bauchi State, about 70 almajiris (out-of-school boys roaming the street) learn to read and write. Amina Usman, teacher at the centre, speaking about her motivation said “It doesn’t matter if it is not your child, if you help other people’s children to learn, you make a big contribution to society,” she
Many children in Northern Nigeria do not have access to schools or alternative education. Children in these communities grow up without foundational literacy, numeracy or social skills, limiting their potential and putting them at a higher risk of joining insurgencies. The USAID funded Northern Education Initiative Plus works in Bauchi and Sokoto states to improve early grade reading and strengthen
Gyamzo Central Primary School in Toro local government area of Bauchi state has been a fixture in the community since it was built in 1947. Until recently, usage had declined. Today, this 69-year old school is vibrant again. In one class, children are singing “Old McDonald has a farm” and in another, they are repeating “Nana na nan” in Hausa
Hafsat Abdullahi is a 17-year old girl with a complicated past. She is enrolled in a learning center for girls in Ningi local government area of Bauchi state. She has been attending classes for five weeks and is now able to recognize and read the alphabets. A new world is opening to her. “I want to be educated but I
Tragic occurrences in Amina Musa’s family interrupted her education. Her mother fell ill and Amina was pulled out of school to take care of her. Amina thought it was only a temporary setback—but it took three years to nurse her mother back to good health. “Within that period, my elder sister got married at age 12 and I stayed at
These days, Aishat Sa’adu is full of giggles. She is enjoying her time at the learning center for adolescent girls in Misau local government area of Bauchi state. She recognizes the letters in the alphabet and can count from 1 to 100. These are major achievements for her. Aishat is a school dropout and at age 16 a divorcee. She
Seventeen-year-old Abdulsalam Adamu kept fleeing from education. His nemesis was peer pressure. When his parents enrolled him into school, he would abandon the classroom and instead enjoy the company of bad friends. They will move from place to place and end up anywhere else other than school. “We spent time playing on the farm, rolling tires on a major highway