The Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has announced plans to engage 16,000 mothers across the state in a new school monitoring initiative aimed at improving learning and school safety.
The Executive Chairman of the Board, Professor Haruna Musa, made this known on Thursday, June 27, during the training of 57 gender officers in Dutse, the state capital. The training brought together officials from the 27 local government areas of the state.
Musa explained that the initiative is part of Governor Malam Umar Namadi’s education reform, which aims to strengthen community participation and ownership of basic education. According to him, five mothers will be selected in each basic school to monitor attendance, learning, and safety. “These mothers will ensure children go to school with the right materials and will also check their books to confirm that real learning is happening,” Musa said.
He added that the women will also encourage school enrollment within their communities to reduce the number of out-of-school children and watch out for any threats to the safety of schoolchildren. So far, over 3,600 mothers have already been trained in pilot LGAs, with plans underway to extend the programme to all basic schools in the state.
Musa noted that the ongoing training of Local Education Authority gender officers is designed to help them support the mothers’ groups effectively. He expressed hope that women’s involvement in school monitoring will improve literacy levels, learning outcomes, and reduce learning poverty in the state. Calling for public support, Professor Musa urged citizens to back the state government’s efforts in revamping the education sector. “Together, we can secure a better future for our children by making quality education available and accessible to all,” he concluded.
