From Tahir Mohammed, Dutse

The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has reaffirmed its commitment towards addressing the alarming scope of out-of-school children, as well the persistent Almajiri challenges across the region through a joint partnership with Islamic Development Bank, ( IDB).

Similarly The forum vows to collaborate with The IDB’s SMART Education initiative a co-financed Institution, by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) supported by Arab Development Bank. The project is intended to addresses most critical educational needs of state's with high rates of out-of-school children, particularly in Northern Nigeria.

During one of their recent meeting, the Forum Chairman who is also Gombe state Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, and Dr. Hasanul Kibria, Country Representative of the IDB, discussed the SMART Education project. This initiative was aimed to broaden access to education, enhance its quality, and improve learning outcomes.

Governor Yahaya expressed concern over the high rate of

educational exclusion in Northern states, particularly among Almajiri children. He highlighted Gombe State’s proactive approach to modernizing the Almajiri system, integrating formal education with Islamic teachings, upgrading infrastructure, and enhancing teacher training.

The NSGF plans to convene an expanded meeting with stakeholders to focus on the out-of-school children crisis. Governor Yahaya praised the IDB for its ongoing support in the education sector and called for broader collaboration in areas like agriculture, animal husbandry, livelihoods, and human capital development.