By Adamu IMAM, Bauchi
The Bauchi State Ministry of Education says it will support efforts to extend Health Club activities to 500 additional secondary schools to improve adolescent health, especially among girls.
State Commissioner for Education, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, gave the assurance on Tuesday while receiving officials of the Better Life Restoration Initiative, BERI, at the ministry in Bauchi.
BERI is implementing the scale-up under the ASPIRE Project with Plan International Nigeria and funding from Global Affairs Canada, GAC. The project currently operates in Bauchi and Sokoto states.
Ibrahim said the ministry would work with civil society and development partners to identify schools for the expansion and provide support within available resources.
“The ministry will do all within its powers to support the scaling up of the manual. Given the track record of the partners and funders, we will also play our role in the advocacy aspect of the project,” he said.
Earlier, BERI Programme Officer, Munira Musa, said the Health Club Manual was designed to give students standardized lessons on personal hygiene, menstrual hygiene management, life skills, gender equality, and the prevention of gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health issues.
She noted that 85 schools have already adopted the initiative, while the group is targeting 500 schools across the state’s 20 local government areas.
Musa appealed to the ministry to approve the expansion and strengthen age-appropriate sexuality education in schools to help adolescents make informed decisions about their health.
