NGO decries non availability of Teachers, medical experts in Community Schools, Health centers

The Participation Initiative for Behavioral Change in Development, PIBCID and Actionaid Nigeria, have decried the deteriorating state of community schools and health care centers across Kogi State.

The NGO, who made their position known Friday August 20 at a community impact assessment validation and desk review by stakeholders in the state, said most community Schools and Healthcare Centres in Kogi State, lacks qualified Teachers and medical personnel. 

While noting that the organization since 2007 have changed the face of the educational and health care system in some communities in Kogi State, the Executive Director of PIBCID, Mrs. Halima Oiza Sadiq, urged the Government to put more commitment toward improving lives at the grassroots. 

She called on the government to own up to their responsibility and make various ministries in the state functional in a bid for them to dispense their responsibility and do their duties. 

"If you go to Igalamela, and some other rural communities,  we have a health center built by Actionaid. The issue we are having now is that there are no commodities. There is no health personnel at these various health centers. 

"It is the community that deploys efforts to get their sons and daughters who are health personnel,  put them there and voluntarily source for funds to pay them stipends. This is not sustainable.

"We have schools that have been built in many communities across the state that are lacking teachers. We have carried series of advocacy for Corp members to be deployed into these various schools. But it is not also enough, because if you don't give incentives and a conducive environment for these Corp members, they will go there and leave. They won't stay. This calls for concern, as the people in the rural area deserve quality education we are seeing here in the urban centers" she added.

Sadiq said, "The donors are going, the project is facing out but, the communities, beneficiaries and  Kogi State remains.  The impact of this project cannot be over overemphasized. Before 2007 when this project came into the community,  there was an entry point assessment that was carried out. 

"There was a consultative meeting that was carried out and we have feedback from the various community representatives who talked about the state of our educational system, state of the Women, state of Women in agriculture, and many more.

"If you look at them today, they would boldly tell you that a lot of things have changed. In the course of the project, we have an interface with the state ministry of education, concerning the state of community schools in our local government. The ministry of education swung into action. Today, they can boast that as a result of that engagement, actions, blocks of the classroom have been built in the community"

Actionaid Advisor Partnership and Local Rights Programme Officer, Hajara Opaluwa Adamu, said the project was also aimed at looking at the capacity of the Women who are a critical stakeholders in any society.

"Before Actionaid came to this community, issues of right were not there. Women were living in seclusion. Since our engagement with them, most of them are much overpowered now as they can advocate for their rights as a woman. Nobody should be incapacitated because of their sex.

" God has created everybody with ability. Because you are a Woman, that does not make you less human being. We were so thrilled when we heard the success story of  Women in some communities especially in times of mourning their late husbands. 

"In Igalamela Odolu, the mourning period of a woman who lost her husband has been reduced from nine months to three months. Before when a Woman after the mourning period, they were expected to do what we call separation right. During the separation right, the Woman will be coerced to bring different food items and drinks.

" The quantity of things you would provide depends on your relationship with your in-laws. God bless you if you are not in a good relationship with your in-laws, you will be forced to do more things just to frustrate you over their Son's death. If the Woman has Children who are well to do, they won't allow them to support her statement that it is an abomination for them.

" Remember, when the Woman is in seclusion, She was not allowed to engage in any business, So where do they want her to get the money to do that. This is why we termed it to be barbaric. Thank God now it has been reduced for them. The separation right is no more there. This is a big plus for Kogi State" she averred.

In his presentation of finding on Kogi Local Right Programme impact assessment validation meeting, a consultant Clement Ekeoba said the purpose of LRP Impact Assessment is to help provide evidence on how the Local Rights Programme have been able to engage with Policymakers and service providers to be more responsive and accountable to citizens’ better articulated _ demands and entitlements in rural and marginalized communities, especially for women and girls.

Speaking further on his finding, the consultant noted the LRP interventions were said to be impactful and effective in communities adding that the interventions were said to be relevant in terms of strategy appropriateness and adaptation to the operational context 

"In terms of sustainability, there were fears concerning the funding required for maintenance of the structure. Manpower requirement for schools in the area of employment of teachers. There is inadequate capacity on the side of community members to run the enterprise. Also, there are inadequate monitoring and mentoring of trained community members.

"There is the poor attitude towards empowerment programs - youths in a community wanted to defraud an agency. Lack of commitment on the side of some community members who are simply interested in immediate pittance to share".

Our Kogi State Correspondent reports that goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of the Ministry of Women Affairs,  Ministry of Education Science and Technology,  Ministry of Health, and Inclusive Forum for Accountable Society, (IFAS) among others. 

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