The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) has engaged Ulama and Juma’at mosque Imams in Kano State to promote positive messages and attitudinal change towards girl-child education.
The interactive session, with the theme: “Positive Messages for Attitudinal Change Towards Girl Child Education”, held on Thursday in Kano, brought together religious leaders, government officials, and representatives of various organisations to strengthen advocacy for girl-child education.
Speaking at the event, the AGILE Kano Coordinator, Alhaji Mujittafa Aminu, said the meeting aimed to sustain collaboration with the Ulama and Council of Imams for effective implementation of the project.
He recalled that the project initially faced challenges due to misconceptions, but through the intervention and guidance of the Ulama and Imams, consensus had been reached and corrective actions implemented.
Aminu explained that the life skills programme under AGILE, which earlier raised concerns, had been reviewed to align with cultural and religious values of the state.
He assured of continued partnership with religious leaders to achieve the project’s goals.
“The project is not harmful to our religion, culture, or norms. We’ll keep working with the Ulama and Imams to ensure its full success,” he said.
Also speaking, the Deputy Project Coordinator, Malam Ahmed Jibril-Musa, said the Federal Ministry of Education initiated the World Bank-supported project to address barriers to girls’ education in 21 states, including Kano.
“The project addresses barriers to girls’ access to secondary education such as socio-cultural norms, financial constraints and poor infrastructure, focusing on access, retention, and completion,” Aminu said.
He said AGILE is constructing 130 new schools across 24 local government areas, with 49 already approved, while 1,228 existing secondary schools received over N3.3 million each for repairs, WASH facilities, and learning materials.
“So far, 8,598 out-of-school girls from 13 LGAs have been enrolled in adult education programmes, with 117 facilitators engaged,” Jibril-Musa added.
The Co-Chair of the Kano State Accountability Forum (K-SAFE), Dr. Auwal Halilu said the project targeted returning 40,000 out-of-school girls to classrooms, stressing that community participation and religious leaders’ involvement were key to its success.
Similarly, Hajiya Halima Tukur, Director, Educational Support Services and Lead, Social Norms Component of AGILE, said over 15,000 girls had returned to school through advocacy and door-to-door campaigns.
The Special Adviser to Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf on Tsangaya Schools, Gwani Musa Falaki, lauded AGILE for involving religious leaders, noting that Imams play a crucial role in shaping public opinion.
“In the North, people respect the words of Imams. If they support girl-child education, society will follow. An educated woman contributes to a better family and community,” he said.
Falaki also urged AGILE to include Qur’anic memorizers, especially girls in Tsangaya schools, in its vocational and education programmes.
Also, Commissioner II, Kano State Shari’a Commission, Ali Dan-Abba, commended AGILE for involving Ulama, saying their participation would ensure the initiative aligned with Islamic values.
He urged the organisers to maintain transparency and continue collaborating with religious leaders to promote education in the state.
Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of the Hisbah Board, FOMWAN, Muslim Students’ Society, and PLANE, among others.