The chairman, Kaduna State House of Assembly Committee on Education, Mahmud Ismaila, has assured lawmakers’ commitment to pass the draft bill seeking to ensure protection and provide life skills for the girl-child.

Ismaila gave the assurance during a one-day follow-up critical stakeholders’ meeting on the strategic institutionalisation of life skills under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project, organised by the Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) in collaboration with the Kaduna State Government in Abuja.

The discussion focused on policy reforms and legislative actions, including updates on a draft bill to institutionalise life skills as a co-curricular subject across public secondary schools in Kaduna State.

The lawmaker assured stakeholders of the Assembly’s commitment to fast-tracking the draft bill.

“The essence of this bill is to protect our children and ensure quality education through Life Skills,” Ismaila said.

According to Ismaila, lawmakers would focus on ensuring the law is implementable, avoids duplication and clearly delivers its intended objectives.

He added that the Assembly had advised the Ministry of Education to establish a technical committee to refine the draft bill and develop an interim policy framework pending its passage into law.

Also speaking at the event, Executive Director, Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE), Habiba Mohammed, said discussions had moved beyond pilot programmes to system-wide reform aimed at embedding Life Skills permanently within the state’s education framework.

Mohammed said, “What we are seeing today is a shift from project-based experimentation to long-term system reform. Evidence from multiple programmes shows Life Skills education improves school retention, strengthens decision-making among girls, delays harmful practices, and improves relationships between schools, families, and communities.”

Mohammed noted that CGE’s Safe Space model, which blends life skills, literacy, numeracy, health education, and mentorship, has been implemented for over 18 years across Northern Nigeria, delivering consistent results across different communities.

In her remarks, AGILE Project Coordinator for Kaduna State, Maryam Dabgaji explained the push for institutionalisation was driven by the scale of investment already made under the World Bank-supported project and the need for sustainability beyond its lifespan.

“The AGILE project is nearing closure, and a lot of investment has gone into Life Skills education. We want the state government to sustain this investment by making Life Skills part of the normal school system, so that it continues even after the project ends,” Dabgaji said.

She explained that broad stakeholder buy-in, including from religious leaders, parents, legislators and budget authorities, was critical to avoiding community resistance and ensuring effective implementation.

“Life Skills cannot be institutionalised by pronouncement alone,” she said. “There must be policy backing, budget lines, trained teachers and mentors, and community understanding,” she added.

Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Information, Bashir Mohammed, said the initiative aligned with the state’s commitment to inclusive governance and long-term peacebuilding.

He said the ministry will work with local governments and community structures to drive awareness and public understanding of the reform

Mohammed said, “When Life Skills are integrated into education, the benefits are not only immediate; they extend decades into the future. A child who acquires skills early is less likely to depend on government jobs and more likely to contribute productively to society.”

The meeting, held under the AGILE project, brought together state lawmakers, education policymakers, religious and community leaders, civil society groups, and development partners.

Participants reviewed progress on a draft bill seeking to make Life Skills a co-curricular, non-examinable subject across public secondary schools in Kaduna State, as well as pathways for embedding the programme into existing education policies and budgets ahead of the AGILE project’s closure.