Britain Grants Nigeria US$12million for ‘girl Child Education Project’

The visiting British Minister for DFID, Mrs Gillian Merron, has announced a grant of US$12 million for the second phase of the Girl-child Education Project in northern Nigeria.

Speaking at the launching of the Girls Education Project (GEP2) in Karkarku village in Ingawa Local Government Area of Katsina on Thursday, Merron said that the grant was meant for girls’ education and to increase female enrollment in school.

Merron explained that the grant would assist UNICEF in embarking on the next phase of the project in the north, particularly in Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto, Niger and Bauchi States.

She said both the DFID and UNICEF hoped to continue with the good project, which had seen enrollment of girls in some supported communities, rise by 80 percent.

The minister said that the British Government was committed to supporting Nigeria to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and placed priority on education for all children, including girls.

The Katsina state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, that said his administration had purchased and distributed relevant equipment to all state-owned schools.

He said that the state government had constructed new schools in all the 34 local government areas.

Shema said that the government had also removed school and examination fees and that girls’ education was free at all levels.

Dr Robert Limlim, UNICEF Country Representative in in Nigeria, said the enrollment of girls had increased and gender disparity reduced in the areas.

Source African Press Agency

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