By Philip Yatai

The Kaduna Basic Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM), an accountability platform has partnered with relevant Committees of Kaduna Assembly to improve education service delivery and promote girls’ education in the state.

The Citizen’s Co-chair, Mr Tijjani Aliyu said at a one-day meeting with the committees and other government agencies in Kaduna on Thursday, that the partnership was necessary to increase investment in the education sector.

The meeting was supported by Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a governance programme of UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Aliyu said that the partnership would improve investment in the education sector through improved budgetary allocation and timely release of the approved funds.

He added that the quality of service delivery would equally improve through the oversight function of the House Committee on Education.

The Chairman, Evidence Technical Working Group, KADBEAM, Mr Danjuma Dangwa-Abbas said that the partnership was also crucial to facilitate the release of education sector procurement documents to citizens to track implementation of projects.

“While Kaduna State Government has signed onto the Open Government Partnership, some of the MDAs are still not sharing critical information with citizens to carry them along.

“This is we need to strengthen the partnership and working synergy as partners working for the interest of the citizens,” he said.

PERL’s Partnership Facilitator, Mr Istifanus Akau, said that the objective of the meeting was to strengthen partnership between State House Committee on Education and relevant committees with KADBEAM.

Akau said that the partnership would strengthen the implementation of education projects that would help promote the education of women and girls.  

He added that the meeting was also to identify specific areas of partnership, synergy and collaboration among relevant Ministries, Department and Agencies, House Committees, and accountability mechanisms.

“It was also organised to discuss modalities for joint monitoring of selected education projects for women and girls and work together to ensure that education gets the attention it deserves.

“We need to ensure that the services in the education sector are significantly improved for us to move to a more desirable state.,” he said.

Also, the State Lead Facilitator, PERL, Mr Adejor Abel, said that the meeting was part of PERL’s support to ensure that citizens and government work together to improve the quality of service delivery.

Abel identified the committees of the House of Assembly as a critical window for citizens to engage, ask questions and demand for quality services.   

The Chairman, House Committee on Education, Mr Suleiman Dabo, said that the partnership with citizens’ groups would strengthen transparency in the committee’s oversight function.

He called on the citizens to always reach out to the committee on any issue conserving service delivery in the sector the committee would take up.

“We are your representatives, notify us whenever you have any blockage in any of the MDAS on issues relating your rights and service delivery and we will follow up to ensure you get the information you seek.

“We are open to work with you to ensure that you get the best of service, particularly the education sector, ” he said.

Mr Yusuf Goje of the Coalition Associations for Leadership Peace Empowerment and Development (CALPED) stressed the need for the assembly members to be part of the various accountability mechanisms in the state.

This, according to him, will ensure a good working relationship between the lawmakers and the citizens in promotion of transparency and accountability in the governance processes. (NAN)