Yobe plans 50 new secondary schools to boost girls’ education

The Yobe State Government, via the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), is set to build 50 new secondary schools and refurbish 225 existing ones to enhance access to education for girls in the region. AGILE Project Coordinator, Abdullahi Dahiru Bulah, announced this during the training of local government facilitators and mobilisers responsible for community awareness and behavioral change across the 17 local government areas.

The initiative aims to encourage more girls to complete their secondary education and acquire skills that would improve their livelihoods and economic independence. AGILE has three key components: providing safe and quality education, creating an environment that supports girls in staying in school, and strengthening the education system. Currently, 104 schools are being rehabilitated through small and medium grants, while preparations are underway for 121 more under the large-grant program.

The project also includes the procurement of 875 desktop computers for 35 secondary schools, each receiving 25 computers, along with solar power, internet facilities, and teacher training. Additionally, 15 schools will soon benefit from a digital skills program. AGILE has established 20 non-formal learning centers and plans to establish another 100 to offer literacy, numeracy, and livelihood skills to girls who did not receive formal education.

Conditional cash transfers are being provided to girls transitioning from primary to junior secondary and from junior to senior secondary schools, helping them meet educational needs such as uniforms and school bags. Payments are linked to at least 70 percent school attendance. The CEO of Spotlight for Transparency and Accountability Initiative (STAI), Mu'azu Alhaji Modu, said his organization would lead social and behavioral change communication across the state to target social norms and cultural practices that prevent girls from accessing 12 years of education.

Modu mentioned that seven facilitators and seven mobilisers are currently deployed in seven LGAs for the pilot phase, with plans to expand to all 17 LGAs by the fourth quarter of 2026.