Briefing Notes To pull out, copy and keep 1 2 3 4 Centre page pull-out News About us News Impact ESSPIN Briefing Notes News 5 6 7 8 April 2011 Case study Case study Case study Contact details esspin express Real life drama in Kano ‘Hannu Diyawa’, is a new community theatre production generating support for school improvement and community engagement work in the northern states. ESSPIN is collaborating with the Social Mobilisation Departments in the SUBEBs to present the drama. The play was performed in communities in Albasu, Fagge and Kumbotso Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kano State from 15 February to 3 March, 2011. The project is being implemented by Youth, Adolescence, Reflection and Action Centre (YARAC) from Jos with Kano-based actors – some well known in northern Nigeria. It is designed to sensitise people to quality basic education issues such as poor infrastructure, girl-child Above ‘Hannu Diyawa’ education and community involvement. It challenges being performed communities to take responsibility for what happens in for a community in schools and to work for a better deal for their children. Kano State. Continued inside on page 2. about news us Organisational profile Continuation from cover Above Real life drama in Kano – Cast of the community ESSPIN is one of a set of State theatre in Kano. Level Programmes (SLPs), funded by the UK Department The play tells the story of stubborn for International Development and suspicious Gagarau who, (DFID), which work on governance, accountability and the delivery seeing no value in education, sends of health and education services. his daughter hawking and mocks ESSPIN supports federal and state the efforts of his friends to improve authorities as they work both to Challenge Fund to boost the local school while thinking they reform the governance of education education in Enugu State and to improve the quality of are plotting against him. When education that children receive. he is forced to realise that his family ESSPIN has introduced a Challenge and friends have been trying to ESSPIN is a partnership between Fund scheme in Enugu to help poor the Nigerian Government help him and it is his daughter’s self- parents to send their children to and DFID. The six-year programme education that creates an opportunity (2008–2014) supports federal school. The Challenge Fund is intended for his own advancement, he and state governments – in Enugu, to increase school enrolment and Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara becomes an enthusiastic advocate completion. The Catholic, Anglican and Lagos – in their efforts for supporting the school and to develop effective planning, and Methodist Education Secretariats enrolling his children. financing and delivery systems in Enugu State have been selected that will improve the quality of basic education. Large crowds of several hundred to implement the Challenge Fund have turned up to watch the play. in mission schools. ESSPIN supports simultaneous In the final scene the audience action on multiple fronts. Support The Challenge Fund amounts to suddenly find themselves part of for schools is accompanied by £100,000 (N24m) per annum and support for communities, support the action as Gagarau turns to them is intended to provide access to for state and local government to ask what they are doing to help and support to develop federal basic education for 1,200 pupils per educate their children and lively laws, policies and budgets. annum for two years. Those eligible debate ensues. ‘I am like Gagarau for the funds are new entrants into ESSPIN is managed by was,’ said one father, ‘but I too a consortium of partners led by Primary 1–3 and pupils who have can change’. Cambridge Education, a member dropped out of school as a result of the Mott MacDonald Group. ESSPIN’s Community Theatre will of poverty within the past two years. tour Jigawa and Kaduna in May. The 30 selected schools are drawn from Udi, Ezeagu and Agwu LGAs in Enugu State. The scheme is a pilot to be replicated by the government and other stakeholders. Mrs Patricia Ofonabo, the Supervisor of Schools of Enugu State Catholic Mission Education Secretariat, expressed her delight at the launch of the scheme, ‘I’m overjoyed because it is a programme that impacts on the poor. I believe it will succeed’. ESSPIN express Transforming basic education www.esspin.org Right ‘Gbagan-Gbagan is a call to Alhaji Mohammed everybody. I hope the government Dadi at the launch of the one of and other stakeholders are the boreholes in listening and consequently draw Kwara State. up implementable policies to solve the collapsed education system in Nigeria’. Alfred Victor Ayodele State Umuahia, Abia Potable water to boost education Above ESSPIN launches ‘Gbagan- in Kwara State Recording a scene Gbagan’ in Hausa and Yoruba for the ‘Gbagan Gbagan’ radio programme. 19 boreholes have been constructed The new vernacular version of across the 16 LGAs of Kwara the radio drama in Hausa, ‘Galan- State as part of ESSPIN’s ongoing Galan’, is on Radio Nigeria, support to the State government. Kaduna at 9:15 am on Thursdays Putting water and, importantly, and repeated at 7 pm on Sundays. Improving the school environment sanitation into a relatively small The Yoruba version, ‘Gbagaun- through better water and sanitation number of pilot schools is part of Gbagaun’ is on Gateway Radio, makes schools more child-friendly a more comprehensive whole-school Abeokuta at 6:15 pm on Saturdays. places in which to learn. This development process. As with is important in terms of enrolment much of what ESSPIN does, and keeping children attending. UBEC partners with ESSPIN the water and sanitation component There are benefits to child health on implementation of SBMCs in is about showing by doing – both (which improves attendance), public schools the benefits and the process of and better learning because less managing resources. time is spent collecting water. The Universal Basic Education Officials of Kwara State Universal And hydrated brains work better. Commission (UBEC) and ESSPIN Basic Education Board (KSUBEB) are partnering to create School- The benefits of clean water have been instructed to monitor Based Management Committees and sanitation are greater for girls the use and maintenance of ESSPIN- (SBMCs) in public schools in Nigeria. who carry more of the burden supported boreholes. The partnership recognises of water collection and are more the critical role that SBMCs play At Etsu Abdullahi Primary School inconvenienced and vulnerable and their potential in ensuring at Tsaragi in Patigi LGA, Alhaji when out in the bush. Better the success of the UBE programme Mohammed Dadi, KSUBEB member, menstrual hygiene and the need for the attainment of Education for reported during the commissioning for privacy is a particularly important All. ESSPIN supported an inter- of the boreholes, ‘Our children consideration for teenage girls. active session with stakeholders now walk just a few metres to As Alhaji Dadi led delegates from from UBEC, Kaduna SUBEB, SBMC get drinking water. I promise you Kwara SUBEB to the commissioning focal LGEAs and Civil Society that any SUBEB officer going of the boreholes, he added ‘ESSPIN Organisations (CSOs) in order to share to Patigi for whatever reason, must has provided us with the basic the SBMC development process. stop over to check this borehole amenity we have desired for a long and make sure it is working time. I do not know what we would perfectly. It is now the school’s have done without ESSPIN and we property and if anything goes will continue to ask for more’. wrong with it, the school will be held responsible’. Mrs MM Yunusa, Head Teacher of Etsu Abdullahi Primary School, said the school had been battling with the problem of access to potable water for so long and pledged continuous maintenance of the borehole ‘in the interest of the school and community’. page 2/3 impact In schools Kano State Kwara State Enugu State Classroom teachers in Faragai Teacher quality improvement in There is excitement among teachers Central Primary School, Albasu LGEA, Kwara is about improving levels of and communities that will benefit have changed the seating arrangement literacy and numeracy. Since 2009, from ESSPIN’s support to Head of their 1,500 plus pupils, to suit 5,802 primary 1–3 class teachers Teachers. At Central Primary School, the child-centered lessons, pair- and 1,440 Head Teachers have Nachi, a teacher, Mr Udeh said and group-work methods that they received 8 days training in literacy ‘Teachers go for in-service training learnt during SSIT training. Since the and numeracy, 2,911 (assistant) in turns. If you are lucky you will training ‘the attendance of girls has Head Teachers have received between attend once in 3 years. ESSPIN’s increased from 60% to 95%’ enthused 3 and 9 days of school management regular and continuous Head Head Teacher Ibrahim Ismaila. training and 290 School Support Teacher, teacher in-service training Officers (SSOs) have received 45 days and support will be of tremendous of training and support to enable them help. Teachers will be able to help carry out their job more effectively. children to learn better and measure More than N300 million of state funds up to expectations’. have been leveraged for this training and support programme so far. In communities Lagos State Jigawa State Kaduna State In Ojo LGEA, water transport is In Gabasmari Primary School – Communities have been sensitised a challenge for the 15 school teachers with the intervention of the School and SBMCs recomposed according and 1,000 pupils in a cluster Improvement Programme – the to the State adopted policy of 8 Primary Schools including school community has begun guidelines in Kaduna in 165 school Local Authority (LA) Primary School, to show interest in the education of communities.