NEI Plus launches 24-episode radio drama, as stakeholders canvass for girl-child education

As part of activities marking this year’s International Women’s Day, USAID’s Northern Education Initiative Plus has launched a 24-episode Hausa radio drama series promoting increased female participation in education in Bauchi and Sokoto states.

The radio drama series, which primarily tackles barriers to education in Northern Nigeria, was launched on Wednesday March 21, 2019, by the Bauchi State Commissioner for Education represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mohammad Datti Umar.

Umar commended NEI Plus for continuing to create access to quality education for children, especially girls, in the state.

He added that empowering adolescent girls with vocational skills, under the project’s six-month basic literacy program, has improved their socio-economic status in communities across the state.

“We celebrate this laudable effort and we are proud to be partners with the Government of the United States through the Northern Education Initiative Plus. The non-formal learning centers have been a great boost not only to communities but the entire state. Our girls and women are now empowered to contribute to national development,” he said.

Also speaking at the launch, the Executive Secretary, Bauchi State Agency for Mass Education, Mrs. Lois Danladi Musa, said education should be used to empower citizens and secure the future of younger generations.

“In Bauchi State, the agency uses its various non-formal education programs to support girls to gain basic literacy and numeracy skills. Some of them graduate into post-basic literacy and gain skills for better life outcomes,” she said.

The Bauchi State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Rukayyatu Ibrahim Kewa said the prevalence of social vices such as street hawking will reduce if more girls are educated.

“When we educate our women, many of our socio-economic problems would be addressed considerably,” she said.

In his remarks, the Acting Chief of Party, NEI Plus, Nurudeen Lawal, charged women to champion children education, noting that until women take up the responsibility in their communities, progress in the country will be slow.

“When a mother is educated, children will be educated. That is why we are committed to educating the girl-child. We have trained more than 29,000 girls through our non-formal learning centers, distributed over 2 million books in Bauchi state, trained teachers and created over 1,900 learning centers,” he said.

As part of their contributions to promoting education, both the Bauchi and Sokoto state governments will sponsor broadcast of the drama series across popular radio stations in the states.

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