The Kaduna State Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), a World Bank-supported project, on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, inaugurated ECO Clubs in 10 pilot public secondary schools.
The Project Coordinator, Mrs Maryam Dangaji, said at the opening of the event in Kaduna that the inauguration of the clubs was part of activities to commemorate 2022 World Environment Day.
Each of the clubs received N20,000 and the ECO Club Code for its members to adhere to.
Dangaji said that the clubs, named Kaduna AGILE ECO Club, was part of AGILE’s “catch them young” strategy, to make students better informed on environment conservation.
She said that the World Environment Day was being celebrated on June 5 annually, principally as a vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
According to her, the ECO Clubs are established to inculcate the culture of tree planning, love, protection, and care for the environment among students, particularly schoolgirls.
“This is in line with AGILE’s components that seek to protect the environment and build environmentally friendly schools’ infrastructure through environmental and social screening in AGILE schools.
“The project also seeks to prepare an environmental and social management plan, all as part of efforts to create a safe and environmentally friendly learning environment.”
He said that ECO clubs made of students, would be expected to do something to protect the environment, such as tree planting, nurture the environment, and respect for the environment.
She said that the code of conduct for the clubs includes “saving the environment”, “minimising environmental damages”, and “achieving energy efficiency and greener earth”.
Others, she said, are “reduce, reuse and recycle”, “together we can” and “you are responsible for the solution”.
The project coordinator said that the objective of the AGILE project was to help improve secondary education opportunities among girls in targeted communities in participating states.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Halima Lawal, thanked the World Bank for supporting the state to improve girls’ access to quality education.
Lawal, who was represented by Assistant Director, Higher Education, Hajiya Amina Junaidu, said that establishing the ECO Clubs would significantly promote environmental conservation in communities.
On her part, the commissioner, Planning and Budget Commission, Hajiya Umma Aboki, said that the girl child education was dear to the Gov. Nasir El-Rufai led-administration.
Aboki called for the support of all relevant stakeholders to ensure that every girl-child in Kaduna State acquires quality education.
The 10 pilot schools are Government Secondary Schools Rido, Technical College Malali, Government Secondary School Sabon Tasha, and Government Secondary School Kakuri.
Others are Government Secondary School Rigachikun, Government Girls Secondary School Maimuna Gwarzo, Government Secondary School Rigasa, Government Girls Secondary School Kawo, Government Secondary Schools Makera and Government Secondary School Kabala Costain.
By Philip Yatai
