DFID-PERL hosts learning session with Kano media managers on education

The Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) this week hosted Kano media managers to a two-day learning session in Kano, aimed at improving knowledge of education matters among media stakeholders as well as improving education content in the media. PERL is a flagship five-year public sector accountability and governance programme being funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (UK-DFID).

One of the panelists at the session, Ibrahim Umar Abdulkareem, a physically-disabled lecturer at Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi while speaking on challenges people with disabilities (PWDs) faced regarding access to education, described society’s negative attitude towards PWDs and lack of teaching and learning aids, as some of their major challenges. “The primary challenge that we face is lack of study materials; our specialized equipment are prohibitively  expensive, another problem is negative attitude from the society which begins from the family level and then goes to the schools,” he said.

Another panelist, Mairo Bello, co-chair of the Kano Citizens-Government Partnership on Education, while speaking on the role of communities and non-governmental organizations in monitoring of educational policies, said: “The communities have the responsibility to tell the government what they need and demand that promises made by the government were fulfilled. The communities’ role is to demand for their rights, unfortunately that is not being done; they should learn to contribute to issues of development including education,” she said

At the end of the session, the participants pledged to ensure improved synergy between the media and stakeholders in the education sector as well as advocate for inclusive community participation in education issues in Kano state.