On Monday, October 30, 2023, the Atiku Institute for Development (AID) launched the Girls Education and Enhancement Project (GEEP) at Sanda Model Girls Primary and Secondary School, Yola.
The project is a collaborative effort of the Atiku Institute, the Adamawa State Government, and the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development in the state and aims to provide quality education and soft skill acquisition for young girls schooling in the state.
One hundred senior female students have been selected for the pilot phase of the scalable project, which will take place at the Sanda Model Girls Primary and Secondary School. GEEP Lead, Ms. Zainab Bashir Ribadu, explained that the participants were selected from among those whose academic records showed deficiencies in Math, English, and other vital subjects of Arts and Science. AUN students, including members of the Honor Society, will volunteer hours to teach the classes and help remedy the subject deficiencies. The participating students are expected to take advantage of the excellent experience of the AUN students in peer-to-peer tutoring situations to improve their performances in their exit examinations next year.
To kick start the project, AUN President Dr. DeWayne Frazier made a personal donation of 1 million naira. President Frazier said that his gift is to honor his two beautiful daughters, Kiera and Sandrine, who are both 16 years old, the age bracket of the female beneficiaries of the project. It is also a gesture to honor the many women who invested in his life and the many women on the AUN campus, including students, staff, and faculty, working hard every day to get an education or help others get one. He also stressed that his gesture is a demonstration of the love God wants us to give to people in need.
The head of the Atiku Center, Dr. Audu Liman, also donated N200,000 toward the project's take-off.
It is important to note also that apart from the financial contribution from the American University of Nigeria, sixty of its student-teachers are to prepare the selected girls in a comprehensive tutorial lesson in preparation for both WAEC and NECO examinations while teaching them skills in soap, cream, and detergent making.
President Frazier stated that according to the 2022 World Bank report, 49.4% of the Nigerian population are females. "Besides the moral reasons, girls' education is a must regarding population growth. Girls' education in Nigeria is of utmost importance for numerous reasons, and I am pleased that AUN is at the forefront, helping to lead the way," he stated. (please click to read President Frazier's complete speech at the launch of GEEP).
President of AUN's Honor Society, Ms. Saffiya Auwal, who was at the launch, reiterated AUN students' readiness to teach the selected students as soon as possible.
The Principal of the Sanda Model Girls' Primary and Secondary School, Mrs. Maimuna Abdulqadir, expressed her gratitude to AUN for the thoughtful project and stated that the project will affect the girls' lives positively. She also thanked other collaborators for choosing her school as the kick-off school.
The Adamawa State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr. Umar Garba Pella, thanked AUN for continuously lifting the burden of education from the arms of the state government. He stated that what AUN is doing is a significant responsibility of the Adamawa State Government, which he said is laudable and impressive. He also said the state appreciates it and would continue to support AUN and play its role in education.
Reported by John Abah