By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
Civil Society Action Collation on Education for All (CSACEFA), a non governmental organization has enrolled 300 Out of School Children in primary school in Dutse, JIgawa state.
Speaking while enrolling the pupils at Fagoji special primary school, the programme manager of CSACEFA, Malam Mustapha Yakubu said it is part of the effort to reduce the number of Out of School Children in the state.
Malam Yakubu explained that “The 300 children comprised of 150 males and 150 females that were mobilised from different parts of Dutse local government area”.
According to him “The 150 males children were street beggars while the 150 females were street hawkers that are either orphans or less privileged children who were not in to school and now enrolled”.
He stated that the United Nations Children Emergency Funds (UNICEF) through the organization has supported the children with a set of uniform each, school bags, sandals, books and writing materials.
Yakubu stated further stated that the gesture is part of the programme jointly being carried out between the JIgawa through ministry of Women affairs and UNICEF through CSACEFA for reducing the number of Out of School Children in the state.
The project manager maintained that “parts of CSACEFA activities is also a public enlightenment campaign to Almajiris and Girls children hawkers on the importance of their enrollment in to school for minimum of universal basic education.
“To this end we went round some local Arabic schools and villages where we met with their local Malams, parents and guardians and convinced them to accepted to sent their Almajiris and girl child to schools for modern education”.
He added that due to the move they have succeeded in enrolling 300 of them. Indicating that they also provided them with uniform and writing materials to be in the schools”.
Malam Yakubu pointed out that, “during our tour, we also selected some teenagers from among the male and females to be ttrain in some local trade and hand skill that is locally marketable such as cap making, head weavings etc to be made in the comfort of their homes without going to hawk”.