‘Withdrawal of girls affecting nomadic education’

The enrollment figure for girls in Zamfara nomadic schools has hit 2,720, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), Professor Bashir Haruna Usman, has said.

He added that the total enrollment figures in the state was 6,170 with males having 3,450, all in about 45 nomadic schools across the state.

Usman, represented by the Director of Finance and Account of the commission, Alhaji Abubakar Sadeeq Yayan Gida on a tour to the nomadic schools across the country, identified sudden withdrawal of female children from the schools by parents and shortage of qualified teachers as some of the challenges facing the commission.

“When a girl attains marriageable age, her parent will withdraw her and then substitute her with her younger sister,” he said, adding, “They think we are more concerned about number. That is why they bring another one in place of a girl they take away. They don’t mind the issue of retention and completion.”

In Kano, the NCNE boss said inadequacy of teachers was threatening nomadic education.

At the Hurgu Filani village of Rogo Local Government Area of Kano State where he led a team of members of the commission on a supervision exercise of the ongoing study to determine the challenges, successes and impact of nomadic education in North West zone, Bashir Usman said the commission was making plans to key into Federal Government’s N-teach programme to address the lack of teachers.