Advocacy group assesses IDPs education in Niger
By Rita Iliya
High Level Women Advocacy (HiLWA) in Saturday visited the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Niger to assess the living conditions and education of the girl-child.
President of HiLWA in Niger, Hajiya Hassana Adamu, led a delegation to the IDPs camp at Central Primary School, Gwada, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that HILWA is a non-governmental organisation that sensitise rural communities on the importance of girl-child education.
Adamu explained that the visit was to assess the living standards and education of out-of-school children, particularly the female ones.
She said that HiLWA’s focused on promoting girl-child education, adding that the organisation was concerned about the lack of guidance and counselling for the girls.
She observed that the girls in the IDPs camp were not exposed to the importance of education, adding that HILWA would take the issue up with the state chairman of Universal Basic Education.
“Although we sensitised the girls on the benefits of education, there is need for alternative location for the IDPs instead of the school premises,” she said.
She added that the organisation also plans to advocate for the provision of guidance and counselling officers to educate the girls on the importance of education.
The Head Mistress of Central Primary School, Gwada, Mrs Justina Barde, said that the IDPs presence in the school premises was affecting the education of pupils.
She also highlighted the accommodation challenges, stating that six families, including males and females, live in a single classroom, posing a danger to the female children.
Some of the girls who spoke, Rita Iliya and Jennifer Nehemiah, expressed their desire to become a medical doctor and a tailor respectively, in spite of their irregular attendance at school.
NAN reports that the organisation presented items, including cartons of biscuits, detergents, soap, and bags of pure water, to the IDPs.
NAN also reports that the delegation includes female permanent secretaries, officials from the Adolescent Girls’ Child Education (AGILE) and the Niger state Child Rights Agency.(NAN)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz
