Kano State has witnessed a major milestone in the education sector as over 29,000 out-of-school children successfully graduated from literacy and numeracy
catch-up club programmes. The initiative, implemented by Save the Children International in partnership with the Kano State Government, targeted children from Ajingi, Makoda, and Minjibir local government areas.
The programme, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Partnership for Learning for All in
Nigerian Education (PLANE) project, focused on children aged 6 to 13 years who had either never attended school or dropped out. It also aimed at reintegrating these children into the formal education system.
During the graduation ceremony held at Minjibir Town Hall, Chrystal Holt, Senior Education Advisor at Save the Children, highlighted the significance of the catch-up clubs in enhancing foundational learning within a short timeframe.
She explained, “When these children joined the programme, about 90 percent could not even identify letters.
Remarkably, after just 11 weeks equating to around 50 hours of learning nearly half of the participants can now read sentences. The progress is truly impressive.”
Holt added that the programme serves as a crucial pathway for children to transition into the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP), a
government-led initiative that provides primary school equivalency. Completion of Level 1 and Level 2 stages of ABEP enables these children to seamlessly rejoin mainstream schooling.
Representing the Executive Chairman of the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Balarabe Jazuli, Director of Social Mobilisation, praised Save the
Children and its partners for complementing government efforts to expand access to quality education.
“These 29,000 children are now well-prepared to continue their formal education. This milestone represents a significant stride toward reducing the number of out-of-school children in Kano State, aligning perfectly with the government’s ongoing efforts,” he said.
The graduation event also featured the distribution of school uniforms, writing materials, school bags, and certificates to all beneficiaries, further equipping them for their educational journey ahead.
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