Jigawa and Islamic Development Bank team up for $110 million education project

The Jigawa State Government is teaming up with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) for a new education project worth $110 million. This project aims to improve school buildings, boost teacher training, and make learning better in Jigawa and two other states.

The project, called the SMART Project, was announced on Friday. Governor Umar Namadi met with an IsDB team led by Mr Imtiaz Alam, who is the Operations Team Leader for Social Infrastructure at the Bank. This meeting took place during a visit to Government House in Dutse.

The IsDB team, along with staff from the Federal Ministry of Finance, came to Jigawa to prepare for the project. They wanted to talk with the state government, understand its education needs, and gather details to develop the project proposal.

Mr Imtiaz Alam explained that the project will help build new schools, fix up old ones, and provide water and sanitation facilities. It will also focus on training teachers and improving the overall learning environment.

He added that the goal of their visit was to consult the states involved, document their needs, and put together a solid project plan for the IsDB Board of Executive Directors to consider.

Mr Alam mentioned that the states were chosen based on their readiness and how well they responded to the process. They looked at things like teacher-to-student ratios and the number of schools when making their decision.

On how the project will be funded, he said it will mix IsDB development financing with grants from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The bank is also looking for more support from other development partners.

Governor Namadi called this meeting an important chance to boost the state’s work on education issues. He said the state reached out to the Islamic Development Bank because they can help with development projects and also attract other donors to support their plans.

He pointed out that while working on this new partnership, the state has been taking steps to improve school enrollment, keep students in school, and enhance learning results.

One of the steps taken is setting up the Tsangaya Education Board and improving Tsangaya schools, which have various models. He believes these changes are helping to tackle the issue of out-of-school children.

The governor also mentioned a government policy where political appointees have to help bring back a certain number of out-of-school children from their communities. He said this initiative is showing positive outcomes.

Additionally, the state government has hired over 10,000 teachers at the basic education level. This move aims to ensure that schools are well-staffed and to improve monitoring and evaluation.

Governor Namadi said the proposed IsDB project would support these efforts by providing extra resources to enhance school facilities, develop teachers, and improve education quality.

“Our aim is to boost learning outcomes and ensure our students can compete well wherever they go,” he said.

He is hopeful that once the project is approved and carried out, it will help the state expand its education initiatives and make significant progress in solving current challenges.