As part of effort to boost girl child education in Katsina state, the United Nation Children Education Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday said it had selected 100 schools in the State for the introduction of “Girls for Girls” programme.
Mrs Padmarathi Yedla, UNICEF Field Officer in the state, said this in Katsina at a sensitisation workshop on the programme.
“The new female education programme is designed to give the necessary support to the education of female primary school pupils.’’
She said the programme would support primary school girls at remote areas of the six local government areas selected for the exercise.
The field officer, represented an official of the fund, by Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed, said the programme was designed to encourage female teachers to focus attention on girl child education.
“The pupils will be put in group of between 15 and 20 girls to be monitored and mentored by women groups, female teachers and mothers in the affected communities.
She said the affected girls would also be assisted to share their opinions under guided atmosphere.
Yedla said the programme would be conducted in two phases, adding that phase one would be launched in Daura, Faskari and Rimi local government areas soon.
Also speaking at the occasion, the coordinator, Community for Popular Participation (CAPP), Hajiya Aisha Abdullahi, said the organization would work with traditional and religions leaders to ensure success of the programme.
Abdullahi said the organisation would also visit rural villages to mobilise girl child of school age to enroll.
“We have selected 80 primary schools and 20 integrated Quranic Schools into the programme.” she said
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that UNICEF would register 0ne million school age children by 2020 for the eight-year programme to motivate girls to seek knowledge through formal education system in the North West.