By Joy Gadani
The Basileia Vulnerable Persons Right Initiative (Bvpri) and Helen Memorial Foundation (HMF) have commenced a 12-month “Advocacy for ICT Remote Learning for Out of School Married Adolescent” (AIRLOMA) project.
The Implementers in a document Made available to Africa Prime News give an insight into the One year project ;-
Background
The Kaduna State School Census Reports 2020 reveals 25% of adolescent girl’s dropout of school, a number that has no doubt increased because of the recent insecurities in the form of kidnapping, banditry and unexplained killings that have rendered so many families homeless for the past 3 years.
This led to the establishment of the 2019 second chance policy aimed at providing another opportunity for school dropouts to return to school.
Nevertheless, the ability of married adolescent girls to key into this opportunity has been limited by the fact that it failed to consider the mental, psychological, social and cultural changes that might have occurred in the girls (especially those forced into motherhood as a result of forced marriage or unplanned pregnancies).
Thus, producing second time dropouts among adolescent girls who attempted to return to school due to the domestic demands brought by the roles they play as wives and mot hers.
The second chance education has the capacity to reach more dropout married adolescent if it leverages on Information Communications Technology (ICT) to allow them option to learn from home (Remotely).
In this light, BVPRI in partnership with Helen Memorial Foundation (HMF) will be advocating for the amendment of the second chance policy to include ICT supported remote learning for dropout married Adolescent enrolled in the programme.
This will make learning flexible enough to help them cope with domestic demands, shift the girl’s secondary school completion rates in the state, improve health and livelihood outcomes as well as give them digital skills that will bridge the gender digital gap and prepare them for the future of work created by the pandemic.
The Project:
The Expected Advocacy Result (EAR) of this project is that “The Kaduna State Honourable Commissioner of education approves the review of the second chance education policy to include ICT remote learning for out of school married adolescent by the end of 2024”.
This project will be implemented by Basileia Vulnerable Persons Right Initiative (BVPRI) and Helen Memorial Foundation (HMF) and funded by Rise Up, a program of the Public Health Institute, through funding from the Cummins Foundation.
The advocacy will be supported by the married adolescent girls and other CSOs working on education.