School
Improvement Grant (SIG) is critical to the overall development of pupils’
performance in schools. It also helps in ensuring education for all campaign.
It
is not a hidden secret that the cost of education in the past sometimes serves
as a deterrent to some members of our communities not going to school.
Basically,
the grant is to improve teaching and learning in schools, as well as enable
school administrations to develop their schools in line with their school
development plans.
The
minister of Basic and Secondary Education Minister Claudiana Cole recently
stated that discussions are ongoing to include the Islamic schools in the SIG.
The move was long overdue and would go a long way in empowering madarassas in
local communities, which also enroll quite a number of pupils.
Suffice
it to state that the introduction of School Improvement Grant in madarassas
would also support easy access to education, retention and completion, as well
as reduce burden of school cost and by extension enhance the country’s human
resource development.
It
is an indisputable fact that the surest way to adequately prepare learners for
productive life is to ensure that learning and teaching is done in a conducive
environment and kept improving and it’s of highest quality. Even the best schools
in terms of meeting national targets can improve. For schools to improve, there
is need for the ministry, school authorities and stakeholders to have proper
plan for the improvement through an organised, systematic, achievable and
realistic way.
The School Improvement Grant (SIG) is based on
enrolment and the grant allocation per child per year continues even in the
senior secondary schools.
We
are of the view that if the Islamic schools also receive similar treatment, we
would certainly witness a big difference in the overall improvement of madarasa
education in the country.
We
also call on World Food Programme and development partners to increase the
budget allocation of 90 million considering the huge demand.
While the initiative covered some regions
which is good, we hereby call on authorities to extend the initiative
countrywide.
“Inclusive,
good-quality education is a foundation for dynamic and equitable societies.”
Desmond
Tutu