KWAGILE begins training of Focal Persons in public schools
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara State Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project has commenced the constitution and training of Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs) and 
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Focal Persons in all the 898 junior and senior secondary schools in the State.
Declaring the programme open in Ilorin, the state capital, the
Commissioner for Education, Hon. Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu, who stressed the importance of the training, added that the exercise would be carried out across the three Senatorial Districts of the State.
Hajia Modibo-Kawu, who lauded the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of AGILE Project for organising the programme, urged the participants to ensure that they impact what their have acquired on others across various schools communities.
According to her, “the government of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is passionate about education, especially the empowerment of the girl-child, in which AGILE Project is one of the projects, that is deeply concerned about the girl-child’s total development.
“We need to ensure that we do everything within our means to make the project succeed. You are all relevant stakeholders, therefore, issues of grievances need to be identified and addressed promptly.”
At the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) training session, the GRM Officer from the National Project Coordinating Unit (NPCU), Abuja, Mr. Emmanuel Erinms, stressed that AGILE is a community-based programme that requires the support of all relevant stakeholders to succeed.
To ensure success of the programme, he said a complaint box would be provided in all the junior and senior government-owned schools to ensure prompt registration and address of all grievances that may crop up in the schools.
On the purpose of training, the State Project Coordinator of Kwara AGILE, Mr. Adeshina Azeez Salami, disclosed that through the project all public junior and senior secondary schools would be renovated, while new schools would be constructed in identified locations, as well as teach life skills, digital literacy skills, provide second chance opportunity for out-of-school girls, among others.
The Resource Person on GBV, Mrs. Olufunke Bolaji, explained the concept of sex and gender, sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, adding that in treating cases of GBV that may arise during the course of the project implementation, confidentiality is crucial.
The Principal of Government Day Junior Secondary School, Alore, Ilorin West Local Government Area of the State, Alhaja Saka Aminat Iyalode, applauded Governor AbdulRazaq-led administration for the initiative, particularly on the renovations that would be carried out in all public secondary schools, across the state, assuring government of their support at all times.
The committee’s constitution alongside the membership training was carried out on three GRC representatives, from each of the junior and senior secondary schools which include the Principal, a female Guidance Counselor and a community representative, who were specifically directed to step it down to other members of the committee.