United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), has released its Cash Transfer Programme (CTP) reports on Girls Education Project (GEP3) for Sokoto and Niger states, saying the programme has increased enrolment of female children in schools. Presenting the report yesterday in Abuja at the Dissemination of Findings Workshop, UNICEF Chief Education, Nigeria Country Office, Terry Durnnian, said impact evaluation, conducted in collaboration with Capra International, a division of Ghubil Limited, a Canada-based company, was carried out in selected schools in the two states. “In Niger state, there are 862 schools selected from the six local government areas, while there are 516 schools selected from the six LGAs in Sokoto under the GEP3 schools. Due to financial constraints, the GEP3 schools that benefited from the CTP were 72 in Niger and 62 in Sokoto states. The report showed a 35.5 per cent increase in enrolment in Niger state in the GEP3 schools, while in the non-CTP schools, the increase stood at 9.5 per cent.
“In Sokoto, girls’ enrolment increased by 65.5 per cent in the GEP3 schools after the programme implementation, while there was an increase of 6.3 per cent in girls’ enrolment in the non-CTP schools@, the report stated. Consequently, schools benefiting from the CTP were unable to cope with demands arising from increased enrolment of girls in both states, showing for instance in Niger state, before CTP intervention, girls’ enrolment was 8, 663 in 2013/2014 and after intervention,11, 028 enrolment was recorded for 2015/2016 implementation years. In Sokoto, before CTP, 7,411 girls were in schools, but at the introduction of CTP, the fi gure rose to 12, 349, representing an increase of 65.9 per cent. UNICEF submitted that the CTP, has reduced the inequalities between households and access to education, especially for the girls-child in the two states. “It helped to address the poverty status of most of the poor households and hence they were able to provide for their girls’ education as done by the relatively affluent households in their community”, UNICEF stated. On the payment system, the Fund said in Niger state, 86 to 96.1 per cent correct recipients were paid, while 88 .6 and 97.9 were paid to correct recipients in Sokoto.
The report, however, stated that “there was not sufficient evidence showing that the Information Management System (MIS)) and monitoring processes adequately7 supported effective delivery of the CTP in Niger and Sokoto states”. The first phase of the programme is currently ongoing in Zamfara and Kebbi states.
