The Kaduna State Government, in partnership with Save the Children and UNICEF, has begun training 830 community volunteers under the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) project.
The initiative, implemented through the State Ministry of Education’s Project Management Unit, seeks to improve access to quality education for children and adolescents currently out of school.
The volunteers, organized into 83 Community Coalitions from nine target communities, include traditional leaders, youths, women, and teachers. They will work collectively to tackle challenges related to education, child protection, and school safety within their communities.
Supported by the Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs), these coalitions would mobilise community action to promote school enrollment and protect vulnerable children.
The two-day capacity-building training for the coalition members holds from July 22 to 27 across the project’s nine local government areas.
The ROOSC project coordinator, Ezra Angai, stated that the training would equip the participants with skills to support vulnerable children, promote school enrollment, raise awareness on child rights, and report abuse.
He added that the coalitions play a critical role in strengthening community systems and driving grassroots development.
According to him, the major component of the training is the introduction of the Community Action Cycle (CAC), a problem-solving approach that guides communities through identifying issues, planning, taking action, and evaluating results.
He added that the participants would also learn the importance of mobilising local resources and maintaining accountability through proper record keeping.
Some of the participants from Kaduna North Local Government Area expressed strong support for the education-focused community engagement programme.
Mrs Rodah Giwa, Women Leader of the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) in Malali, lamented the widespread issue of children being sent to hawk instead of attending school.
“We have been anticipating such a programme, many children are out on the streets because their parents send them to sell food items before they can even think of going to school; their future is being jeopardised.”she said.
Giwa pledged to mobilise other women to support education, saying, “If not for education, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
“I will support other mothers to bring out their children and ensure they return to school.”
Similarly, the Village Head of Unguwan Shanu, Nura Ibrahim, who commended the organisers ,pledged his community’s support.
“We already have an education committee in place. We are going back to create awareness and ensure the programme succeeds,” he said.
Also speaking, Revd Zakaria Ogah described the programme as a “step in the right direction” and a source of hope for the future.”
He stated that a society without educated children was bound to fail, adding that he was committed to mobilising those who have dropped out to return to school.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ROOSC project is an initiative of the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, with support from Save the Children and the United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF).
The project’s target is to return 200,000 out-of-school children and those with disability to return to school, including over 32,000 pupils in integrated State Quranic, Tsangaya , foundation and neighboring schools.
