By Abba Dukawa
IN A major boost for early childhood education in conflict-affected regions, four states – Benue, Borno, Niger and Sokoto – have endorsed community-based Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) schools as a cost-effective strategy to mop up under-five children who are out of school.
The states made the commitment at a National ECCD Roundtable convened by the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). The high-level dialogue held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Thursday.
The one-day roundtable drew national curriculum planners from the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), the Special Adviser to the Minister of State for Education, the Director of Research at NIPSS, Prof. Musa Umar, and top education managers from Kano State.
Setting the tone for adoption, the Technical Adviser on Education Reform to the Kano State Governor, Mallam Haladu Mohammed, announced that Kano has adopted the dRPC community-based ECCD model for play-based learning.
Mohammed, who spoke on the sidelines of activities marking the International Day of the Girl Child, said the model was cost-effective and scalable for expanding access.
Corroborating him, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Kano State Ministry of Education, confirmed his participation in the evaluation of dRPC’s eight-year community-based ECCD project being implemented by Prof. Bala Ado Kofar Mata of Bayero University, Kano.
According to him, the evaluation will provide empirical evidence on how play-based learning enhances child development and school readiness.
Speaking separately, the Commissioners of Education from Niger and Borno States, the Benue State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, and the Chairman of the Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) said the model was timely for states grappling with insecurity and displacement.
They pledged to initiate immediate steps for replication of the Kano experiment in their states.
Participants at the roundtable stressed that community-based approaches offer a viable alternative in underserved and displacement-affected communities where insecurity has disrupted conventional schooling.
In a major outcome, the Commissioners from Niger and Benue states invited the dRPC team to meet with their executive governors next week to present the model for adoption.
The development signals growing sub-national interest in community-driven, play-based learning as a sustainable solution for Nigeria’s youngest and most vulnerable learners.
