As part of efforts to improve access to education among rural and indigent girls in Plateau State, Governor Simon Bako Lalong has flagged off the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) as well as the Conditional Cash Transfer to facilitate the education of girls from poor backgrounds.
While performing the flagging off at the Victoria Gowon Hall, New Government House, Little Rayfield Jos, Governor Lalong said the programme which is a partnership between the World Bank, the Federal Government and Plateau State was initiated to encourage and restore hope to girls that have dropped out of school as a result of lack of fund, cultural hindrances to education, or non-availability of schools in their immediate communities.
He said the Rescue Administration places high value on the girl-child education, hence the commitment in seeing to the successful launching of the conditional cash transfer and school improvement grant.
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He said over the past seven years, his administration has made frantic efforts in providing safe and accessible learning spaces, fostering an enabling environment for girls, and in the recent past, signed into law bills passed by the Plateau State House of Assembly to protect girls, children, womanhood and the vulnerable in general from molestations of any kind.
Lalong explained that, “The World Bank in collaboration with the state and the federal government intervention facilitated this counterpart arrangement, which involves large expansion in infrastructure which is intended to support adolescent girls in Junior and Senior Secondary Schools to enjoy special scholarship programmes. The programme is also meant to provide conducive learning environment for the girls in the pursuance of their education career”.
While commending the World Bank for extending this timely funding partnership to Plateau State, Lalong said the state will eventually benefit from a total sum of $3,972,000 dollars in scholarship and infrastructural expansion.
Plateau State Commissioner for Secondary Education Mrs. Elizabeth Wapmuk disclosed that the first tranche of the disbursement covers nine selected local governments with funds to be disbursed for School Improvement Grant, and Conditional Cash Transfer to adolescent girls of between 10 and 20 years in both junior and secondary schools.
Principal GSTC, BUKURU & ANCOPSS President Plateau State said the step taken by the governor will revolutionise education in the state.