Madarassas should be included in SIG!

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