Radda approves over N6bn grants for 110 schools in Katsina 

Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda, Katsina State Governor, on Friday, approved the disbursement of N6.1 billion as School Improvement Grants to 110 Schools across the State as part of efforts to strengthen infrastructure and improve the quality of education in the State.

He announced the grants during the flag-off ceremony held at the Transforming Education System at the State Level Project Office in Katsina, where he also inaugurated a newly constructed 500-capacity conference hall.

Governor Radda described the intervention as a demonstration of his Administration’s commitment to transforming the education sector and investing in human capital development.

“Our vision is to build an education system that is inclusive, functional, accountable, and capable of preparing our children to compete effectively in the modern world”, he said..

Governor Radda noted that the School Improvement Grant initiative was aimed at addressing critical infrastructural and learning needs at the grassroots level.

He explained that the second phase of the programme would fund the construction of additional classrooms, renovation of dilapidated school structures, provision of gender-sensitive toilet facilities, and access to safe and potable water in line with Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) standards.

Governor Radda also distributed specialised learning materials for children with special needs at the School for the Blind, Katsina, and the School for the Deaf in Malumfashi, noting that the TESS Project had recorded major achievements in improving teaching and learning across the state.

“Twenty-eight thousand teachers have received training on modern teaching methodologies, classroom practices, and Structured Pedagogy.

“CCTV cameras had been installed in 130 schools to improve security, while motorcycles were distributed to Monitoring and Evaluation Officers across the 34 Local Government Education Authorities to strengthen supervision in rural communities.

“These funds must be utilised with the highest level of transparency, prudence, and accountability, strictly in accordance with the approved guidelines,” the governor emphasised.

Also speaking, Abubakar Abdulhamid, the State Project Coordinator of the AGILE Project, disclosed that “a total of 104,111 female students had benefited from the project’s conditional cash transfer programme.

“The intervention had improved school attendance, reduced dropout rates and increased transition rates between school levels. Primary to JSS transition reached 71 percent while JSS to SSS transition achieved 89 percent,” Abdulhamid said.

He added that under Phase I implementation, 75 new secondary schools had been constructed, with 65 already completed and handed over.

“A total of 581 secondary schools have been upgraded through School Improvement Grants, benefiting over 778,000 students. The project has renovated 3,099 classrooms and constructed 279 new ones,” he added.