To reduce the number of out-of-school children, Kaduna State governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani has launched an initiative to facilitate the completion of primary education by all children in the state.
Sani also provided a book grant of N2 million to 100 students to support their education.
Speaking at the 5th Edition of Kaduna Book and Arts Festival, (KABAFEST), an exhibition launched to promote the culture of reading and learning, the governor highlighted the significance of KABAFEST as the only state-funded festival in Nigeria.
He expressed pride in the state government’s partnership with KABAFEST, emphasizing its critical role in fostering cultural excellence and intellectual exchange.
Sani said the newly launched initiative, ‘Reaching Out-Of-School Children’ will “increase access to learning opportunities, improve enrollment, and ensure active participation and completion of quality primary education by all children, with a particular focus on children with disabilities, girls, and adolescents.”
He emphasized the importance of education as a tool for empowerment and development. He highlighted the need to tackle the challenge of out-of-school children, which hampers the state’s progress and affects the future of its youth.
According to Sani, the ‘Reaching-Out-Of-School Children’ project will involve targeted interventions to identify and enroll children who are currently not in school.
“It will also focus on improving the overall education infrastructure in the state to create a conducive environment for learning,” Sani said.
In addition to launching the new project, Sani announced the provision of book grants to support 100 students.
“Each student will receive a grant of N20,000 to spend on books at the Kaduna Book and Arts Festival (KABAFEST), an event dedicated to promoting literature and arts,” he added.
He said the book grant was aimed at encourage reading culture among students and provide them with access to quality educational materials.
The KABAFEST launch hosted educators and community leaders, who expressed support for the initiative introduced by Sani. They commended his commitment to improving education and applauded the efforts to reach out to marginalized children who are not in school.
