The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project has commenced the assessment of 100 girls with cognitive and developmental disabilities at Government Girls Secondary School, Zawaciki, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State.
The assessment, which began on Sunday, is aimed at appropriately placing the students into the pilot 35 inclusive education schools under the AGILE Project.
Speaking during the exercise, the Social Support Officer (SSO) of AGILE Kano, Malam Yakubu Muhammad, said the assessment would enable the project to provide school material support including uniforms, notebooks, stationery, backpacks, and specialised learning aids tailored to individual needs.
“At the end of the assessment, AGILE will develop Individualised Support Plans (ISPs) outlining necessary accommodations, assistive devices, and instructional strategies for each student,” he said.
Also speaking, the lead consultant, Dr Samira Ali, said the team had so far identified students with both cognitive and physical disabilities among those assessed.
She listed some of the disabilities identified to include cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, behavioural maladjustment, and speech defects.
In her remarks, the Principal of Government Girls Secondary School Panshekara and Chairperson of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Mrs Hauwa Hussain, commended AGILE for the intervention, describing it as a step towards ensuring inclusive education in the state.
The assessment was conducted under the Environmental and Social Safeguard Unit of AGILE Kano.
The AGILE Project is a World Bank-assisted initiative implemented through the Federal and State Ministries of Education to improve secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls in Nigeria.