Plateau Government has begun the distribution of $1.9 million as School Improvement Grants (SIGs) to 300 schools and about N183 million as Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) to more than 18, 000 female students in junior and senior secondary schools in the state.
The intervention is under the Federal Government project of Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), supported by World bank designed to improve secondary school opportunities for young girls.
Inaugurating the exercise on Friday at Government House Jos, Gov. Simon Lalong thanked the Federal Government for the initiative, saying it would address gender gaps in school enrolment for girls and other children.
He said the programme would restore hope to young girls in the state who had dropped out of school due to lack of funds for fees, cultural hindrances to education, or inaccessibility of schools in their immediate community.
“ It is necessary to commend the World Bank for extending this funding partnership to Plateau State which shall see us eventually benefitting from a total sum of $3,972,000 in scholarship and infrastructure expansion.
Lalong congratulated the beneficiaries of the project and urged the students to make their families and the state proud, to encourage more future interventions and improved standard of education.
The governor said he would not tolerate any act of corruption, manipulation and abuse in its implementation from all parties saying “anyone found in breach will not be spared”.
Presenting the project overview, the Coordinator of AGILE in Plateau, Saje Adeh, said that the project would include the construction of 35 junior secondary schools, 20 new secondary schools across the state’s 17 Local Government Areas.
He added that small grants would be distributed to 609 public junior and secondary schools while large grants to 347.
The official said 289 junior and senior schools would benefit from life skills and 80 senior secondary schools will benefit from digital skills and remote learning.
“For the first phase 49 schools will receive $8,000 each, 109 schools will receive $12,000 each , 142 schools will receive $16,000 each.
He said more than 9,000 students in JSS1 would receive N10,000 each and 6,094 students in SS1 will receive N15,000 each.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Elizabeth Wapmuk, urged Plateau people to embrace the programme for its success, saying it would have multipliers effect in developing other sectors of the economy.
Responding on behalf of beneficiaries, the State Chairman of All Nigeria Confederation of Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, James Dimlong assured the governor of the judicious use of the resources by the beneficiaries.
Grants were distributed to Govt Girls` Sec Sch Japal in Pankshin LGA; Girls Science Sec School Shendam and Govt. Junior Sec School Obene in Bassa LGA.
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