Bauchi govt. reaffirms commitment to education of girls through CCT

The Bauchi State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to promote education of girls through the Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) component of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project.

Hajiya Ladi Hamma, State Project Coordinator of AGILE, said this during a stakeholders advocacy engagement on the CCT initiative in Bauchi on Monday.

She said that the project to be implemented by the state government was with support from the World Bank

According to her, the AGILE project aimed to empower adolescent girls by eliminating financial barriers to education.

Hamma said that the CCT programme was a key strategy of the initiative, designed to encourage school enrollment, consistent attendance, and completion of secondary education.

“Under the scheme, eligible girls in junior and senior secondary schools receive financial assistance based on meeting set conditions, such as maintaining at least 80 per cent attendance and demonstrating academic progress.

“In the state, junior secondary school students receive N5,000 per term, while senior students are eligible for N10,000 per term,” she said.

In his remark, Dr Lawan Mohammed, the State Commissioner for Education, said that the Bauchi government had committed N150 million as counterpart funding for AGILE, enabling access to a World Bank $80 million loan aimed at strengthening girls’ education in the state.

“The project targets adolescent girls aged 10 to 20, with additional components including the provision of ICT facilities in 60 secondary schools.

“Around 5,000 Senior Secondary One (SS1) students are expected to benefit from digital skills training under the programme,” he said.

Mrs Grace Jackson, representing the AGILE National Office, said that the initiative went beyond financial support, aiming to address cultural, social and economic challenges that could hinder girls’ education in Nigeria.

She explained that CCTs  were expected to reduce dropout rates, improve access to quality education for girls and empower them with critical knowledge and skills for future opportunities.