AGILE Project Sokoto Organizes A Three Day Workshop To Strengthen Grievances On GVD In Schools
AGILE Project Sokoto Organizes A Three Day Workshop To Strengthen Grievances On GVD In Schools
From Aminu Suleiman
The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project on Thursday commenced a three day sensitisation workshop in Sokoto to strengthen the management of grievances and gender based violence (GBV) cases in schools across the state’s 23 local government areas.
The training, which focuses on building the capacity of 65 focal persons on the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), brought together traditional rulers, religious leaders, education officers, and community stakeholders.
Delivering the welcome address, the Sokoto State Coordinator of AGILE, Dr. Mansur Isa Buhari, said the initiative is designed to ensure that grievances arising from schools and host communities are properly addressed to prevent escalation.
Our intention this year is to train focal persons across the 23 local government areas so they can step down the training to school level GRM officers, he said.
This mechanism ensures that any complaint whether related to gender based violence, safety, or general school concerns is handled promptly and professionally.
With the security challenges in some parts of the state, we need structures that allow intelligence and complaints to be managed early before issues worsen.
Dr. Buhari added that traditional rulers were deliberately included because of their strong influence within communities.
Whenever we have a message for the communities, we work with the traditional institutions to ensure the information gets to the people directly, he noted.
Also speaking, the Federal GRM Officer for AGILE, Emmanuel Erinms, said he was in Sokoto to support the state’s Project Implementation Unit in facilitating the training.
For the next two days, we will explain the project, identify who to report complaints to, and outline how grievances can be resolved without disrupting implementation, he said.
Our goal is to make sure every stakeholder understands the channels available for lodging grievances and how they can be addressed amicably.
Declaring the three-day workshop open, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ahmad Ladan Ala, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to strengthening the education sector through reforms and innovation.
The commissioner represented by the ministry’s Director of Administration, Abubakar Umar Salame explained that monitoring teams from the ministry had recently visited schools in Sabon Birni, Isa, and Gudu LGAs despite security challenges.
He added that all 23 LGAs had now been reached to assess teaching and learning outcomes.
He further disclosed that Sokoto is partnering with education stakeholders to digitalise primary and secondary schools across the state.
We have introduced a school bus service within the Sokoto metropolis, and the utility vehicles are ready, he said.
By January, operations will begin, and students will pay just ₦50 per trip.
We are determined to change the narrative of education in the state. Sokoto has been lagging behind, but with the support of Governor Dr. Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, FCNA, we are confident of progress.
Speaking on behalf of the traditional rulers, Ardon Shuni, Muhammad Jabbi Harandi II, commended AGILE for its ongoing efforts and pledged continued support from traditional institutions to ensure the project’s success.
The Executive Secretary of the Female Education Board, Prof. Mustapha Namakka, said the workshop aligns with the board’s initiatives aimed at addressing challenges affecting women and adolescent girls.
He also praised the District Head of Gagi, Alhaji Sani Umar Jabbi, for his consistent support for programmes that promote girls’ education and welfare.
The three day workshop is expected to strengthen in school systems for grievance handling and enhance the protection of students especially girls in all AGILE supported schools across Sokoto State.
