By Lawal Gwanda
Z and Katsina State Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has reiterated determination to ensure compliance of any policy that is in place to promote Mass Literacy across the 34 LGAs of the state.
Supervising Commissioner of the Ministry Alhaji Bishir Tanimu Gambo gave the assurance on Monday when officials of the National Agency for Mass Education led by Mrs. Rose Ebiri paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
The commissioner pointed out that every policy has to be approved by the state government from the State Executive Council, sometimes has to go the State House of Assembly.
On the request of the minimum of 5% allocation of the total budget in the education sector to be channelled into Mass Literacy, the commissioner explained that the issue is subject to the approval of the State Executive Council.
He recalled that when he was an LGA Chairman, at local government level there were Departments of Adult Education to ensure the enrolment of those that were not opportuned to attend school at their early stage.
He advised the team to visit the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), as according to him, “the commissioner of the Ministry is always very passionate about making sure that people are literate, people get the right education they deserved,”
He reiterated the Ministry’s readiness to give all the needed support to Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education on the mission.
Earlier, the leader of the team Mrs. Rose Ebiri said the team was in the Ministry to seek for support on the crusade to promoting Mass literacy across the 34 LGAs of the state.
Mrs. Ebiri also requested the inclusion of a minimum of 5% allocation of the total budget in the education sector of the state into Non Formal Education Programme.
She said the allocation is not for the payment of Facilitators, but for training and retraining of Facilitators, provision of learning and teaching materials and advocacy among others.
Mrs. Ebiri stated that if the allocation became a reality to Non Formal Education, it would go along way to alloviating the surge.
Also speaking, the representative of an NGO ‘Community Aid Connect’ Mr. Bola Akinloluwa expressed appreciation to the State Agency for Mass Education over the necessary support rendered to the Team.
Mr. Bola explained that with that support, the team was abled to enrolled over 4,000 learners and trained about 113 Facilitators across the 34 LGAs of the state.
