Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative (KLCI) as one of the cluster members for the Accountability for Good Governance in Education (AGGE) project implemented by YouthHub Africa, with support from USAID and Palladium Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) Intervention, held its demand-supply side stakeholder engagement dialogue on basic education in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

The event which is part of the implementation plan, aimed to promote good governance in education through the work plan of state UBEC, disbursement, funds received in the state, and reducing the rate of out-of-school children, had in attendance twenty-five (25) stakeholders in the education sector.

Omolola Lipede, Senior Programs Director at KLCI, and state lead of the project during her presentation, explained to the participants how accessing education has helped her to leverage opportunities, adding that the sad statistics of out-of-school children and learning poverty in Nigeria had ushered her into the goals and objectives of the AGGE project.

She further stated that the reason for the existence of the project was to promote good governance and transparency in education through the work of states’ UBEC, disbursement, and implementation of funds received in the 5 states of the project areas.

Lipede urged the stakeholders to support the project implementation in the state, saying that “we need the policymakers on our side to achieve this plan.”

Mr. Khalifa Tamimi, the state Chairman of SBMC, in his contributions, insisted that the position of the community is to scrap the PTA levy and other hidden charges in schools across the state.

However, SUBEB, SBMC, and the CSOs in the present at the event had agreed the PTA levy should be removed and some recommendations be made.

He said, “The recommendations range from government subvention, grants sourced by schools, direct taxation of individuals in Kwara, and Education TETFUND.

“Afterwards, the participants were asked to take turns to identify with the plan and commit verbally to support the framework and other plans of the AGGE project. A committee of seven (7) persons, chaired by SUBEB was set up to monitor the process of the citizen participation framework.”

Mr. Adewunmi Ojo, representing the Permanent Secretary of Kwara State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, expressed gratitude for the thoughtful forum, urging every stakeholder present “to contribute their best quotas in ensuring the workshop is a success”.

Present at the event were; Mr. Shuaib Ibrahim the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, SUBEB; Mr. Khalifa Tamimi the state Chairman of SBMC, Mr. Oto-Ola Samuel, the State Vice Chairman of NUT, Mr. Ayuba Abduraham, the state coordinator of CSACEFA among others.