By

Sagiru Ado Abubakar

With zeal and keen interest to reignite commitment to education in Shara Community and to
accelerate progress of the Shara Community School, the Centre for Information Technology and
Development (CITAD) has on 31st July, 2023 organized a High-Level meeting on Promoting
Access to Education for Rural Citizens in Shara village of Sumaila local government. CITAD
perceived that there is an urgent need to recover learning losses and motivate political actors
and other stakeholders in education towards realizing access to basic education to the
unserved community of Shara. The purpose of the high-level meeting was to prioritize and
improve education access for rural citizens in the Shara community and also aimed to mobilize
action, ambition, solidarity, and solutions to transform education in similar places in the state
and help rural citizens get better access to education.
In 2017, CITAD found that Shara community with population of over 3000 people including
about 600 school age children had no school and their children were not attending school
because the only school near them (at Matigwai) has to be reached by crossing a river which is
not possible during the raining season. Following a series of community consultations, the
community with help from CITAD, set up a community school under a tree in 2017. Much later,
in April, 2022 the state government approved the construction of a block of classrooms for the
Shara community. On 8 th September, 2022 following the completion of the construction of the
classrooms and noting that, the state government did not post any teacher after the
construction project, CITAD voluntarily recruited a teacher in the person of Malam Aminu Yusuf
Adam Sitti to help manage the activities of the activities of Shara community school.
The high-level meeting took place at Shara Community School premises and Alh. Sa’id Saleh
Yakubu, village head of Sitti made the welcome remark. He welcomed the royal fathers,
representative of the Distinguished Senator, Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, representative of the

member House of Representative, Barr. Rabi’u Yusuf, members from CITAD and other
participants. He then told that they have since prepared, eager to host this meeting and wished
everybody fruitful deliberations. Alh. Anas Kabiru, village head of Matigwai represented the
district head of Sumaila at the evet. He said that, the emir of Rano, His Royal Highness, Alh.
Kabiru Muhd Inuwa assigned the district head of Sumaila to represent him at the high-level
meeting. Due to some reason, the district head ordered him to represent them both at the
meeting. He told that, the messages of the emir and that of the district head are similar. They
both urged the people of Shara who stayed longer living without having a single person with
primary school certificate to utilized this opportunity by sending their wards to school regularly.
He warned that the emirate will deal with anyone whoever withheld his ward from the school
as it is the policy of the state government.
Malam Sa’id Saleh, chairman Sitti Forum shared the journey so far. Since from the time CITAD
came across the Shara village during a project ‘improving Access to Education through
Community Mobilization’ been conducted by CITAD in 2016. Sagiru Ado Abubakar led the
delegation from CITAD to the event and he represented the CITAD Executive Director Malam
Yunusa Ya’u at the event. Sagir informed the participants that the executive director wished to
be with us in person but couldn’t because of the reason that he had a plight schedule by 2pm.
He reiterated the commitment of the centre toward achieving educational development of the
Shara community.
Alh. Yakubu Abdullahi was sent by the office of the Distinguished Senator Alh. Abdurrahman
Kawu Sumaila (OFR) to represent them at the event. He read a letter as follows from the office
of the distinguished senator. On behalf of the distinguished senator Abdurrahman Kawu
Sumaila, (OFR) I thanked Almighty Allah who helped us to represent the people of this region in
the senate chamber of the federation. Our office sincerely celebrates with Shara community for
this development. I assured you that the office of the Distinguished Senator is available and
open for you always. I will advise that you should prepare the demands of the community
school in written and forward to the office of the Distinguished Senator. I assured you that the
senator will do everything possible in response to your demands about not only Shara but the
entire communities under his jurisdiction. Our office will look forward to solve the problems of

inadequate teachers, additional blocks and teaching and learning materials within short period
of time in this school. He finally, thanked CITAD for this move and described the organization as
partners in progress. At the other hand, the representative of the Member House of
Representatives, Taka/Sumaila constituency, Alh. Usman Maikano Yusuf commended CITAD for
identifying Shara village and amplifying its challenges to the world. He then promised to brief
his boss on what he witnessed himself.
Honorable Nura Iro Ma’aji, a political figure, and a player of the Kwankwasiyya movement from
Sumaila local government, described the event as world education celebration day for Shara
people. He questioned why do we tell children leaders of tomorrow? He said for him children
are not leaders of tomorrow but leaders of today. He said that without education you cannot
lead your future. He urged the community to utilized the opportunity and be the best they can
be. He informed the gathering that in 2003 he was a student at CITAD, where he undergone
series of computer programs at the centre and since then he was proud of the organization. He
finally made two promises. He asked to know the number of the active students of the
community school and promised to provide teaching and learning materials of that figure
before the resumption day. Also, promised to assign Sitti community forum whom identify
Shara village in 2016 without a primary to be part of the beneficiary of a capacity building
program giving to Community Based Organizations in his hometown Sumaila local government.
Malam Adamu Bawa, Head of Department Normadic Education, represented the State
Universal Basic Education Board. In his response to the need of additional teachers he said that
SUBEB, Kano will look into it and send additional teachers to the community school. Malam
Musa Garba was the representative of Sumaila Local Education Authority (LEA). He testified
that they have similar places in the local government without adequate teachers, teaching and
learning materials. He appealed to the personalities that made promises and other
stakeholders to come for their aid. Malam Said Saleh Sitti, Chairman Sitti Forum, emphasized
the demands of the community school. He said that due to the growing number of students the
issue of additional staff is never be over emphasized. The school need shelter to accommodate
Early Childhood Care and Education section to accommodate younger ones. They want the
school to be enrolled in the school feeding program of the state as it boosts school attendance.

The also need instructional materials, teaching and learning materials, first aid box as well as
school expansion with playground for the pupils in the school. He finally used the opportunity
and extend another request of the community members to the offices of the Distinguished
Senator, Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, Senator Kano South and that of the Member House of
Representative Takai/Sumaila federal constituency. They forwarded a letter of request of
construction and reconstruction of roads in the community. The letter read that due to the
damage of the road from Burum-Burum to Sitti and from Rawun to the Dabar Baga. We have
written and request for construction and reconstruction for these roads for easy
transportation.