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A ground-breaking partnership between Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) & Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and Save the Children alongside other partners including, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, is set to benefit 100,000 out of school children (OOSC), including girls and children living with disabilities. The Reaching Out-of-School Children in Kaduna State project (ROOSC) will employ a multi-tiered approach to address critical barriers to education in the region.
Nigeria is confronted with several obstacles, such as economic challenges, instability, insecurity and inequality. Barriers to education include insufficient funding, poor infrastructure, lack of trained teachers, and inadequate access. Based on data from the Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics in 2020, an estimated 535,353 children in the state were out of school, ranking Kaduna as one of the states with the largest number of OOSC in Nigeria. The ROOSC project is a testimony of the partners’ commitment to investing in education, not only to increase enrollment and retention rates, but also to contribute to reducing poverty and broader socio-economic development.
Over the span of four years, the partnership will focus on four objectives: improving access and retention, quality of teaching and learning, learning environments, and education management. To reach these objectives, the project, also with support from the Qatar Fund For Development, will be structured into five components and deliver interventions to ensure inclusion, community mobilisation, teacher training, quality assurance, flexible learning opportunities, psychosocial support, child protection, and the provision of teaching materials.
Speaking about the partnership, Fahad Al Sulaiti, CEO at Education Above All Foundation, said: “Strong partnerships that deliver relevant and effective interventions are the pillars that will build the pathway to educational transformation in Nigeria. By joining forces, we can provide children with the opportunity to thrive and grow towards a brighter future through equitable and inclusive education.”
Dr Hiba Ahmed, the ISFD Director General, stated that, “ISFD is proud to be part of this international partnership addressing the education needs of out-of-school children in Kaduna State, Nigeria. This initiative aligns perfectly with ISFD’s mission of empowering and developing communities in need through quality education. By working collaboratively with our partners, we can provide children with the tools and knowledge they need to reach their full potential and contribute to the development of their communities.”
Inger Ashing, CEO, Save the Children, Said: ‘“We are honoured to work with all the partners involved to ensure that even in the most difficult circumstances, children can fulfil their right to a safe, inclusive and quality education. Time and again children tell us how important their learning is – to their wellbeing and development in the present, but also in equipping them for the future. We face a global crisis in school access and learning, therefore coming together for this programme provides a critical opportunity for the children of Nigeria.”
In 2018, EAA and IsDB/ISFD partnered on a framework agreement to establish the ISFD/EAA Enrol and Retain OOSC Programme, which provides a substantial investment for the identification, enrollment and retention of OOSC in a range of countries. During the IsDB Annual Meetings in Riyadh on 27-30 April 2024, the partners extended the framework agreement until 2025 to ensure greater impact for OOSC. The ROOSC project in Kaduna state is an outcome of this programme.
Education Above All (EAA) Foundation
The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is a global foundation established in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. EAA aims to transform lives through education. It believes that education is the single most effective means of reducing poverty, creating peaceful and just societies, unlocking the full potential of every child and youth, and creating the right conditions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through its multi-sectoral approach, unique financing models, focus on innovation as a tool for social good, and partnerships, EAA aims to bring hope and real opportunities to the lives of impoverished and marginalised boys and girls.
Global Partnership for Education
GPE is a shared commitment to ending the world’s learning crisis. It mobilizes partners and funds to support nearly 90 lower-income countries to transform their education systems so that every girl and boy can get the quality education they need to unlock their full potential and contribute to building a better world.
ISFD
Established in 2007, the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) is the poverty alleviation arm of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) with a resolute mission to combat poverty and promote inclusive and equitable growth. ISFD provides the necessary financial support in the form of concessional finance and grants to improve the productive capacity and sustainable means of generating income for the poor, promote human capital development, and economically empower women & youth in member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Save the Children
Save the Children UK (legal name the Save the Children Fund) was founded in London, England in 1919 by Eglantyne Jebb and her sister Dorothy Buxton as an effort to alleviate starvation of children in Germany and Austria-Hungary during the Allied blockade of Germany of World War I.
Save the Children’s ambition is a world in which every child has the right to survive, learn and be protected. Save the Children was founded on the belief that every child deserves the chance of a future. This belief underpins everything it does. Save the Children supports children to transform their lives. It puts children’s rights at the core of all our work and strive for equity and social justice. It is committed to making a positive, lasting difference for and with children. Save the Children works in partnership with local organisations and communities; volunteers and the public; social movements and civil society groups; governments and international institutions; private sector organisations; foundations and philanthropists; artists and ambassadors; and, above all, with children and families to create change that lasts a lifetime.
As a global movement working in more than 100 countries, Save the Children has four strategic goals for children in 2022-2024:
· a healthy start in life
· a safe return to school and quality learning
· a childhood free of violence, and
· support to cope with future shocks
In the UK, Save the Children is focusing on children’s learning and support for families.
Save the Children is the leading child rights organization with offices in over 120 countries around the world. In Nigeria, Save the Children has reached millions of children, since it started its operation in 2001. Save the Children has been providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in the armed conflict affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, in the Northeast since 2014. SCI also implements child focused community development programs in 15 other states to provide a healthy start in life for children, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. Save the Children believes every child deserves a future and work every day, including times of crisis, to ensure the future of every child is secure. Save the Children works with partners to support the Federal and State governments in Nigeria to identify and scale up innovations to ensure that children survive, learn, and are protected.
