Completion and Transition: Rays of hope for 10, 648 girls in Kano State

The number of girls completing primary school and transitioning to junior secondary schools in Kano
is far from impressive. This issue, and the negative effect the of their truncated education will have
on the girls’ future, was raised by ESSPIN at a recent meeting with His Excellency, the Deputy
Governor of Kano State and Honourable Commissioner of Education, Professor Hafiz Ringim.

A joint team comprising SUBEB leadership and ESSPIN Kano found that many girls are lost at the
transition stage. Furthermore, the number of girls retained in the system reduces drastically in
primary 4, 5 and 6.

The Deputy Governor said ‘just when we are reconsidering our free and compulsory education policy
due to the prevailing economic reality, especially the reverberating consequence of dwindling revenue
accruing to the state, a monster that is biting hard into our efforts to scale up reforms in the basic
education sector, we realized the pertinent need to address the issue of abysmal transition of the girl
child from basic primary to junior basic. Unfortunately, we cannot confront this blot without the
required funding and can obviously are unable to do it alone’.

To assist in addressing this challenge, ESSPIN, in collaboration SUBEB, has introduced a ‘Summer
Camp Academy’ for girls. Under the program, 10, 648 girls will be coached and tutored on basic
literacy, numeracy and social courses thereby enhancing their odds of successfully passing the
transition exam and of course preparing them to confront the academic demands of the junior basic
stage.

According to Executive Chairman
SUBEB, ‘typical of ESSPIN, the
program is on hand to
immediately provide expert
technical support to us on how
best the gradually tackle the issue
of non-transition of the girl-child,
and I cannot think of anything
better. Indeed, besides being the
first of its kind in the history of
Kano state, the Summer Camp
Academy is unique and very
promising’.

The Academy held its first session during the third term holiday and was approved by the state
government to become a recurrent feature during holidays. Girls from all the 44 LGEAs in the state
were assigned to 196 study centres from where they will enhance their literacy and numeracy skills.
The girls were given transport allowances as well as pencils, exercise books and a bag to wet their
appetite for learning. Personnel comprising LGEA officials, SBMC members, teachers, SSOs and SMOs
were involved in the exercise.

A guide was also developed to ensure synergy across the study centres. Equally, a state monitoring
team comprising staff members from SMoES&T, SUBEB and ESSPIN paid scheduled visits to all the
centres. The Deputy Governor is also a member of the monitoring committee and was impressed by
what he saw in one of the study centres in Bichi LGEA buttressing that ‘I cannot really imagine any
partner of ESSPIN’s standing in Kano State especially in the education sector. While we appreciate the
contribution of all partners in the state, I must say ESSPIN’s contributions to the growth and
strengthening of our education sector glaringly standout. I am pleasantly surprised with what I saw at
one of the SCA centers in Bichi. The kids are picking up, and taking in the lessons, and the teachers are
encouragingly up to the task. Thank you ESSPIN, thank you’.