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The participants of the UNICEF digital education
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
Fifty girls selected from across schools in Bauchi have been trained on digital education by Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in collaboration with the Bauchi Field office of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as part of the celebration of the 2021 International Day of the Girl – Child.
The training which was tagged ‘Digital Generation’, took place in Bauchi over the weekend where the girls from Junior Secondary Schools from six local government areas of the state attended the session and were put through the fundamentals of digital education.
The local governments are the areas where UNICEF is implementing its programmers, include Alkaleri, Bauchi, Shira, Ganjuwa, Toro and Ningi.
While declaring the training opened, Bauchi State Commissioner of Education, Dr Aliyu Usman Tilde restated the importance of girls child education saying that the state government is prioritizing it.
Represented by Hajiya Saadatu Usman Mohammed, Dr Aliyu Tilde urged stakeholders in the educational sector to invest more on girl child education for sustainable socioeconomic development in the state.
He also stated that denying girls education retards their progress and endangers their future, while urging parents and stakeholders in the sector to give priority to female education.
The commissioner emphasized the need to invest massively in the education of female teenagers who are transiting from childhood to early adulthood, rather than sending them to hawk goods or giving them out in early marriage.
“The education of the girl child is a priority of our administration, and efforts are on top gear to provide adequate financing and other logistics support for the promotion of girl child education and there’s hope because the education sector has received a lot of interventions that has reflected positively in the lives of children of school age.”
In his remarks, SUBEB Chairman, Dr Abubakar Sirimbai Sheikh Dahiru, represented by the Director School Services Alhaji Korijo Umar, restated the commitment of the board to providing qualitative basic education in the state.
He commended the support and cordial relationship between SUBEB and UNICEF and assured that the board will continue to give priority to the girl child education.
On her part, the UNICEF Desk officer in SUBEB, Halima Umar said investing in girl child education would help to guarantee a bright future for the girls and their communities.
She also said the aim of the training is to promote the right of girl child globally, through girl child Digital revolution and generation in order to bridge the gender gap.
Halima Umar added that in 2013, the gap was 13 percent, in 2017 the gap rose to 17 percent; in advance countries but in Nigeria the gap is 43 percent, hence the need for more support to women especially girl child as part of effort to bridge the gap.
