The recently introduced conditional cash transfer programme of the Katsina State government, which sought to provide financial support to female children, has led to an increase in the enrolment of girls in schools across the state, the special adviser to Governor Shehu Shema on Girl-child Development, Hajiya Bilkisu Kaikai has said.
In the programme, girls of school age are given specified sums of money for their upkeep in school as part of measures to encourage enrolment, retention and completion of primary education.
LEADERSHIP WEEKEND’S investigation revealed that 9,059 indigent girls, selected from nine local government areas of the state are beneficiaries of the programme, which is supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).?
Hajiya Kaikai told journalists yesterday that statistics available indicated “a dramatic increase in the number of girls who have enrolled in different primary schools across the state,” and noted that more parents had been motivated to send their girl-children to school.
“In one of the schools we had only two girls, and their attendance was not regular prior to the commencement of the CCT programme. But we now have over 100 girls in attendance, courtesy of the programme,” she said.
Kaikai, who disclosed that arrangement had been concluded for the disbursement of the second payment to the benefitting girls, noted that each girl would be given the sum of N5,000, four times yearly, but added that this gesture is “subject to attaining 80 per cent attendance.”
She disclosed that Sokoto and Niger states had also indicated interest.
When contacted, the headmaster of Makiyawa Primary School, Jibiya, told our correspondent that enrolment of the girl-child had increased tremendously, and therefore, appealed for additional blocks of classrooms.