Life skills and gender-responsive education are set to become a permanent part of learning in Kaduna State’s public schools following the approval of two new education policies aimed at preparing young people for school, work and everyday life.
The Kaduna State Government has approved the adoption of the Kaduna State Life Skills Policy and the State Policy on Gender in Education (2026–2030), a move designed to institutionalise the programmes across the state’s education system.
The Centre for Girls’ Education, which welcomed the approval by the Kaduna State Executive Council, described the decision as a significant shift from donor-driven, time-bound interventions to a sustainable, government-led framework for delivering life skills education and promoting gender equity in schools.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Habiba Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to her, the Life Skills Policy will equip young people with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to succeed in education, employment and everyday life, while the Gender in Education Policy provides a framework to promote equity, inclusion, participation, retention, completion and improved learning outcomes.
“The approval moves life skills and gender equity from the margins of the classroom into the core of Kaduna State’s education system,” Mohammed said.
She explained that the Centre for Girls’ Education contributed to the development and validation of the policies through its system-strengthening project, supported by Co-Impact, OASIS Initiative and the Malala Fund, in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment and the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.
Mohammed noted that the policies build on more than 18 years of the organisation’s Safe Space model, which independent evaluations have shown helped reduce child marriage, increase school enrolment and delay early marriage.
According to her, the AGILE programme in Kaduna has reached more than 127,319 girls and 6,250 boys aged between 14 and 18, while over 1,400 female and male teachers have been trained as mentors.
She said institutionalising the model through public policy would ensure that life skills education becomes a permanent component of Kaduna State’s education system rather than remaining dependent on donor-funded programmes.
Mohammed added that the policies would address barriers to school access, retention and completion, particularly for girls and other vulnerable learners, strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the state’s 23 local government areas and guarantee continuity beyond donor-funded programmes.
She commended Governor Uba Sani for providing the leadership that culminated in the approval of the policies.
The CGE executive director also appreciated the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, the AGILE State Project Implementation Unit, the World Bank and other stakeholders for their contributions to the process.
She reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting the Kaduna State Government during implementation through technical assistance, teacher training, gender-responsive education sector budgeting and monitoring.
“Our goal is to ensure that every girl and boy in Kaduna State has the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive,” Mohammed added.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.