Niger State Government to Provide One Million Computers and Tablets to Public Schools

  By Awwal Umar Kontagora The Niger State Government is set to distribute one million computers and tablets to all public schools in the sta...

 

By Awwal Umar Kontagora

The Niger State Government is set to distribute one million computers and tablets to all public schools in the state. This was announced by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago during the Traditional and Religious Leaders Conference on Girls' Education, held in Minna.

The event, organized by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning & Empowerment (AGILE), the Niger State Ministry of Basic Education, and the Sultan Foundation, emphasized the importance of advancing girls' education in the North-Central geopolitical zone.

Governor Bago highlighted the state's commitment to modernizing education by providing students with access to technology, including fiber optic cables for free internet services in public schools. A pilot scheme will soon launch in Minna. He also shared plans for a 10-year scholarship program, offering 1,000 scholarships annually for female students to pursue medical and nursing courses.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alh. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, emphasized the role of traditional and religious leaders in advocating for girls' education. The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, represented by Suraju Darda'u, underscored the importance of leaders in raising awareness about female education.

Dr. Hadiza Asabe Mohammed, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, acknowledged the challenges faced in the North-Central zone, including low literacy rates and gender inequality, but expressed hope that the conference would help address these issues.

AGILE Project Coordinator Amina Buba Haruna discussed the project’s goals to improve education for adolescent girls in secondary schools. She also mentioned the state's policies, such as the domestication of child rights and the adoption of the National Policy on Gender Education, which contributed to Niger State’s inclusion as one of the 18 benefiting states.

In their goodwill messages, leaders from Jama'atu Nasril Islam, the Imams Forum, the Christian Association of Nigeria, and FOMWAN emphasized the transformative power of girls' education.

The Sultan presided over the investiture of Hajiya Fatima Umaru Bago, the Governor's wife, as the Ambassador for Girl Child Education in the North-Central Zone. In her speech, Hajiya Fatima expressed her commitment to promoting girls' education, inspired by her late father, an educationist who ensured all his daughters received an education.

She called for collective efforts to break the barriers to girls’ education in the North-Central Zone and across the country.