A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Women for Women International, on Monday, established a primary school at Rudugungun community, a predominantly Fulani settlement, for children in the community to have access to basic education more than 50 years after its existence.
The settlement, located at Tirwun ward of Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State, had been without a school with unsuccessful attempts in the past to establish one there.
The school was established by the NGO, which is concerned about issues of violence against women and the girl child, in collaboration with Non-formal Education Department of Bauchi LGA as well as the nomardic education agency.
It was learnt that Women for Women International, discovered the need to establish the school in the settlement when it organised a training for selected 24 women change advocates and three male champions on how to mitigate concerned about issues of violence against women and girl-child.
Speaking with journalists, the leader of the women change agents, Hindetu Hassan Faruk, informed that they discovered that the child-girl was lagging behind in the community, which made them agree to start basic education classes there.
According to her, “We discovered that the girl child in the community was lagging behind. So, we paid advocacy visits to the community and at the fourth visit, the community agreed for us to start a basic education class here.
“Alhamdulillah, today our joy knows no bounds. Our efforts are not in vain; we have opened up an avenue for the girl child to be liberated through basic education. She will, through this class, know her rights and basic principles of life.”
Speaking at the event, the Village Head of Tirwun commended Women for Women International for discovering the community and establishment of the basic nomadic class there.
Represented by Alhaji Mohammad, the village head submitted that basic education was the most important thing to bestow on a child, especially the girl child and called on the community to ensure that they released their children to attend the school.
The Fulani head of the community, known as Ardo, Mallam Yau Adamu, expressed happiness that many years after the establishment of the settlement, they were privileged to have a basic school, which he revealed that the community had unsuccessfully tried in the past to have one.
While assuring that children in the area would be enrolled in the basic class, the Ardo called on the state government and other NGOs to complement the efforts of Women for Women International by providing school structure for easy learning in the community.
On his part, the Deputy Director, Non-formal and Adult Education, Bauchi LGA, Babangida Umar commended the NGO for discovering the community through its women change agents initiative.
According to Umar, the NGO’s initiative had complemented the efforts of Bauchi LGA in the area of education.
He assured that the council would take over the school and send a teacher to the community, who would be coming twice in a week for now until the school takes deep root. Continue Reading
