The Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board (ZSUBEB) has trained 75 social mobilisation officers to strengthen community participation in efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state.
The officers drawn from the State and Local Government Education Authorities are being trained on the effective use of School-Based Management Committee operational documents.
The training, held at the ZSUBEB headquarters in Gusau, is also aimed at improving school enrolment, attendance, retention and the quality of basic education across the state.
Representing the ZSUBEB Executive Chairman, Prof. Nasir Garba Anka, Permanent Member I, Madawaki Alhaji Dahiru Shehu, said community mobilisation was critical to the success of government interventions in education.
He described the officers as a vital link between government, schools, parents, communities, traditional and religious institutions, and other stakeholders.
Shehu said their responsibilities went beyond disseminating information, adding that they were expected to build trust, identify barriers to education and encourage communities to take ownership of educational programmes.
The State Coordinator of the Universal Basic Education Commission in Zamfara, Malam Tanimu Abdulkadir, said effective community participation could produce measurable results.
Abdulkadir, who represented UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Aisha Garba, cited the recent enrolment drive at JNI Primary School, Gusau, where 87 out-of-school children were enrolled.
He described the School-Based Management Committee as “the heart of the school” and urged participants to replicate such successes across Zamfara’s 14 local government areas.
He also called for dormant SBMCs to be revitalised, with inclusive membership and proper records of their activities.
Abdulkadir disclosed that UBEC had made SBMC functionality an important indicator in its school monitoring exercise, adding that reports from the training would be forwarded to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The training covers community engagement, advocacy, communication, stakeholder coordination, data collection and reporting.
Officials of the Teachers Service Board, Senior Secondary Education Board and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology pledged continued support for efforts to strengthen community participation in education.
The Director of Social Mobilisation at ZSUBEB, Alhaji Sani Usman Gummi, urged the participants to share the knowledge gained with their colleagues and apply it in their respective areas.
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