The Kwara State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to training 28,000 female students across 70 public secondary schools located in the state’s three senatorial districts.
This was revealed in a post shared on Thursday via the state government’s Facebook page.
In partnership with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project, the State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development aims to achieve this initiative.
The five-day workshop, titled “Digital Literacy Skills Programme for Educators and Secondary School Girls,” was declared open at Bovina View Hotels.
While explaining the initiative’s objectives, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, the State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, noted that AGILE is a core initiative of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Representing the commissioner, Mrs. Rebecca Bake Olanrewaju, the Permanent Secretary in the commissioner’s office, stated that the program targets adolescent girls who lack digital knowledge.
Olanrewaju highlighted that the project focuses on constructing new structures, renovating existing blocks, providing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, and supplying learning materials.
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“As part of this initiative, Life Skills and Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) have been introduced as sub-components. These will provide training for female students on health, reproductive and emotional development to help them transition into adulthood, as well as financial support for extremely disadvantaged female learners in secondary schools,” she said.
Modibbo Kawu emphasized the importance of digital skills for female students, noting that these skills will enhance their relevance in society and improve their employment prospects after completing secondary school.
Describing the initiative as a great opportunity to equip adolescent girls for the labor market, Mr. Adeshina Salami, Project Coordinator of the Kwara AGILE project, praised the state governor for introducing it.
The project, supported by the Federal Ministry of Education through the World Bank, aims to improve secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls.
Salami highlighted various challenges such as socio-cultural factors, financial constraints, and infrastructural deficits, which contribute to female students dropping out of school.
“The government is making education more appealing to our adolescent girls. We are equipping them with 21st-century digital skills to help them stand out and compete favorably with their peers,” he noted.
According to the Team Lead of TedPrime Hub and implementing partner on the digital literacy sub-component, Mr. Olamilekan Adeeko, 70 teachers are currently being trained to, in turn, retrain 280 more teachers.
These 280 trained teachers will then train 8,000 female students, with the goal of preparing them for the labor market.
“The outcome of this initiative will positively impact the economic standards of the state, Nigeria, and the African continent at large,” Adeeko stated.
The World Bank Consultant on Digital Literacy Skills, Ms. Ese Adeluyi, presented a paper titled “Shifting Perspectives: Making Digital Skills Training Engaging and Relatable,” where she emphasized the importance of training and recognized that teachers are the foundation for acquiring adequate knowledge.
Highlighting the vast opportunities in the technology sector, the Education Industry Director of Microsoft Africa, Ms. Angela Nganga, also presented her paper on “Microsoft’s Commitment and the Future of Work/Potential Opportunities for Gender Inclusion.”
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Technology, Mrs. Mary Kemi Adeosun, and the Executive Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission, Mallam Bello Tauheed (represented by Prince Kunle Yusuf), commended the Governor’s efforts in empowering schoolgirls with digital skills.
