Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has flagged-off the distribution of ATM cards for conditional cash transfer totalling ₦917 million to 45,850 girls under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) in the state.
This is contained in a statement issued by his Acting Press Secretary, Malam Hisham Habib, in Kano on Friday.
The exercise was held at the Government Girls Secondary School, Janguza, in Tofa Local Government Area of the state.
Yusuf said that the beneficiaries were drawn from 19 local government areas of the state that are educationally less developed.
He explained that the project include the provision of stipends, rehabilitation and construction of classrooms for effective teaching and learning.
The governor reiterated the commitment of his administration towards improving the education sector.
“We will ensure the implementation of free education with the provision of what is needed to ensure its workability so as for the school-age children to be educated,” he said.
On the illegal collection of fees by some school administrators, the governor warned: “I want to use this opportunity to sternly warn school administrators to stop illegal levies collection as education is free in the state.
“The state government will not fold its arms to watch the continuation of the ugly trend and all concerned parties must take note and comply.”
Earlier, the Project Coordinator on AGILE, Alhaji Nasiru Kwalli, said the programme is a tripartite project between the Federal and Kano State Government as well as the World Bank.
According to him, the programme is aimed at creating new safe learning spaces and improving existing infrastructure in secondary schools.
Kwalli said that the project was meant to foster an enabling environment for girls, projects and system strengthening.