The Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has unveiled plans to involve 16,000 mothers in school monitoring as part of efforts to enhance school safety and improve learning outcomes across the state.
This was disclosed by the Executive Chairman of the Board, Professor Haruna Musa, during a media briefing at the training of 57 gender officers from all 27 local government areas, held Thursday in Dutse, the state capital.
According to Professor Musa, the initiative—introduced under the administration of Governor Malam Umar Namadi—seeks to form mothers’ groups that will strengthen community involvement and ownership in the education sector.
“The Board plans to assign five mothers to each basic school. These women will be trained and mentored to actively participate in school monitoring,” he said.
Their responsibilities will include ensuring that pupils attend school with the necessary learning materials and checking their children’s books at home to confirm learning progress. Additionally, the mothers will promote school enrollment in their communities to help reduce the number of out-of-school children.
Musa further stated that the mothers will also play a key role in safeguarding their children against abuse and security threats within the school environment.
“These mothers will serve as advocates for education and protectors of their children’s welfare,” he noted.
So far, over 3,600 mothers from selected pilot local governments have been trained and mentored, with plans to expand the initiative to all basic schools across the state.
Speaking on the gender officers’ training, Professor Musa explained that it is designed to build their capacity to effectively collaborate with the mothers’ groups and ensure the program’s success.
He expressed confidence that increasing women’s involvement and community ownership in education will help tackle the high rate of out-of-school children and address learning poverty in Jigawa.
“By engaging mothers, we aim to boost literacy and improve learning outcomes in our schools,” he said.
The Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board chairman also called on the public to support Governor Namadi’s efforts to revitalise education in the state, stressing the importance of making quality education accessible to every child.
“The government is fully committed to this goal, and the mothers’ groups are a key strategy in achieving it,” he concluded.
