The Federal Government and UNICEF collaborated to provide digital literacy, skills, and business training to around 16,000 girls in Katsina State. Dr. Babangida Zubairu, Master Trainer of the Nigerian Learning Passport, announced this achievement at the end of a training session at the Katsina State School of Nursing.
Dr. Zubairu outlined that the initiative commenced with the training of 2,000 teachers, who then disseminated the acquired knowledge to pupils and other secondary school students in the state. The most recent phase involved the training of 5,000 female students from selected secondary and primary schools, including out-of-school girls. Additionally, students from four higher institutions, namely Federal College of Education, Katsina, Isa Kaita College of Education, Dutsinma, Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, and the School of Nursing, Katsina, were also beneficiaries.
“In each school, we trained at least 2,000 students on digital literacy, digital skills, and entrepreneurship, using the Nigeria Learning Passport,” Zubairu explained. The overarching goal of the training is to promote digital literacy, skills, and entrepreneurship among female students in Nigeria.
At the conclusion of the program, each participant is expected to enroll in three different courses within the Nigeria Learning Passport program. Upon completion, participants will receive certificates signed by the Federal Ministry of Education, UNICEF, and Microsoft, providing evidence of their computer literacy and skills qualification.
This initiative, known as the Girls Employability and Skills Partnership program (GESP), is a two-year project in four states: Katsina, Sokoto, Bauchi, and Lagos. Dr. Zubairu highlighted that the Nigeria Learning Passport is sponsored by the World Bank, aiming to support teaching and learning in Nigeria through a digital platform.
