The Jigawa State Government has intensified efforts to address the challenge of out-of-school children with the distribution of more than 70 motorcycles to education monitors to enhance school supervision and improve access to remote and hard-to-reach communities across the state.
The Commissioner for Higher Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Isah Yusuf Chamo, flagged off the distribution at a brief ceremony, describing the initiative as a strategic intervention aimed at strengthening school monitoring, improving access to rural schools and ensuring that no child is left behind.
Prof. Chamo explained that the motorcycles were procured following the approval of Governor Malam Umar Namadi, after education monitors raised concerns about the difficulty of accessing rural senior secondary schools, particularly during the rainy season.
“We have over 300 senior secondary schools in Jigawa State, many of them located in rural areas. Some are extremely difficult to access, particularly during the rainy season. These challenges affect effective monitoring and our drive to bring out-of-school children back into the classrooms,” the commissioner said.
He noted that the lack of mobility had limited the ability of monitors to regularly visit schools, assess learning conditions and identify gaps contributing to school dropouts and poor enrolment in rural communities.
“With these motorcycles, monitors can now reach every nook and cranny of the state, observe what is happening in our schools and report promptly. This will help government to identify problems early, provide support where needed and address factors pushing children out of school,” he added.
The commissioner stressed that constant monitoring remains key to addressing challenges such as absenteeism, poor infrastructure and low enrolment, which often fuel the out-of-school children crisis.
Prof. Chana assured that adequate logistics and maintenance support would be provided to ensure the sustainability of the initiative, noting that monitors already receive allowances which would also cover vehicle maintenance.
On the beneficiaries, he disclosed that the motorcycles would be shared among two categories: 49 education monitors covering senior secondary schools across the 27 local government areas, and members of the School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs).
According to him, 17 motorcycles were allocated to SBMC members under the Ministry of Higher Education, while the remaining 10 for SBMCs would be provided through the basic education sector to ensure effective grassroots monitoring.
He expressed optimism that the intervention would significantly strengthen education oversight, boost enrolment and contribute to reducing the number of out-of-school children in Jigawa State.