Jigawa and Islamic Development Bank plan $110m education project
- Jigawa and the Islamic Development Bank are preparing a proposed $110 million education project called SMART.
- The plan covers new and renovated schools, water and sanitation, and teacher training.
- The bank will submit the project document to its board for approval.
The Jigawa State Government and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) are working together on a proposed $110 million education project aimed at improving schools and teacher training, the state has said.
The plan, called the SMART Project, was presented on Friday when Governor Umar Namadi received an IsDB team led by Mr Imtiaz Alam, the bank's team leader for social infrastructure, at Government House in Dutse. Staff of the Federal Ministry of Finance joined the visit.
According to Mr Alam, the project would cover building new schools, repairing existing ones, and providing water and sanitation facilities. It would also include teacher training and steps to improve the teaching and learning environment.
He said the team was in Jigawa to hear the state's education priorities and gather information for a full project document. That document will go to the IsDB Board of Executive Directors for consideration and approval.
Mr Alam said the participating states were picked after checks on their readiness, how they responded to the process, the concept notes they submitted and how workable their proposals were. Teacher-to-student ratios and the number of schools were also considered. The sources did not name the two other states taking part.
How it would be funded
The financing would combine IsDB development funding with grant support from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Mr Alam said. The bank is also looking for more money from other development partners.
Governor Namadi said the state turned to the IsDB because of its ability to support projects and to bring in other donors for priority areas. He said the state has kept working on school enrolment, keeping children in school and learning outcomes while the partnership is being prepared.
He listed the creation of the Tsangaya Education Board and support for Tsangaya schools, including integrated and model ones, as part of efforts to cut the number of out-of-school children. He also said political appointees are required to bring a set number of out-of-school children from their communities back to class, and that this is working.
The governor said more than 10,000 teachers have been recruited at the basic education level to improve staffing and supervision.
"Our objective is to improve learning outcomes and ensure that our students can compete favorably wherever they find themselves," he said.
What happens next
The project is still at the preparation stage. The IsDB team will put together the project document, which must be approved by the bank's board before any money is released. The sources did not give a timeline for that approval.
