Uchechukwu Nnaike
A non-governmental organisation, Northern Hibiscus Initiative (NHI), has restated its commitment to addressing the educational needs of indigent children between the ages of two to five by providing them with a highly subsidized basic education in a conducive environment with modern learning facilities.
The organisation, committed to rallying support for the socio-economic development of northern Nigeria, unveiled its plans for the Edu Kids Academy project during a virtual press conference. Highlighting the vision and mission of the academy, the founder of the NGO, Aisha Falke, stated that Edu Kids commenced operations in September 2019 with 125 pupils from less privileged homes.
She said the organisation’s ultimate goal is to see northern Nigeria be at par with its southern counterpart in every aspect starting from the foundation which is education.
“We have discovered that education is a powerful tool we can use to liberate people from the shackles of poverty. Compared to other parts of the country, the north is far behind. We are determined to bridge the gap by providing highly affordable and quality education, which we believe will help us achieve our goal in the long run. The whole idea is to catch them young that is why we have started with little children because they are the future.”
“The task is quite enormous but we are committed to galvanising the much-needed support from well-meaning Nigerians, international donor organisations, and corporate bodies to key into this laudable programme which will be beneficial not just to northern Nigeria alone, but to the entire country,” Falke added.
She said the school is currently operating from a temporary site in Kano Municipal, equipped with conducive blocks of classrooms, recreational facilities, toilet facilities, toys, computers, learning aids, among others.
“As part of the expansion plan, we have acquired a piece of land for the permanent site in Kano, to accommodate both primary and post-primary school classes which we hope to commence the infrastructural development as soon as we can raise the required funding.
“We have designed a prototype of the proposed structure. When completed it should be able to conveniently accommodate 1,500 students at once,” Falke stated.
She said the Northern Hibiscus Initiative, established in May 2019, hopes to contribute to the country’s ability to achieve the United Nations 2030 agenda on Sustainable Development.
