Kogi State Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project, in collaboration with the Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID), has conducted a comprehensive monitoring exercise in mass literacy centres in the 21 local government areas of the state. The exercise was designed to strengthen alternative education programmes for out-of-school adolescent girls and vulnerable learners.

It formed part of the implementation of Subcomponent 2.2c of the AGILE project, which focuses on providing functional literacy, vocational skills and empowerment opportunities for adolescent girls who are unable to access formal education.

During the exercise, standardised learners’ registers were presented to facilitators across the centres to improve documentation, accountability and effective tracking of learner participation.

Speaking on the initiative, the State Project Coordinator of Kogi AGILE, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Oricha, said the monitoring exercise reflects the project’s commitment to ensuring quality implementation of alternative learning programmes targeted at vulnerable girls across communities in the state.

Oricha noted that the AGILE project remains focused on addressing the challenge of out-of-school girls by providing inclusive learning opportunities that equip them with literacy, numeracy and life skills to improve their future prospects.

He emphasized that continuous monitoring and data-driven supervision are key to the success of the initiative, adding that the introduction of standardized registers would strengthen documentation, enhance transparency and support evidence-based reporting.

Also speaking, the Subcomponent Lead for Alternative Education, Hajia Mariam Bello, explained that the monitoring exercise was aimed at assessing the level of implementation of the Mass Literacy Centres across the state and identifying operational gaps requiring attention.

According to her, monitoring teams engaged directly with facilitators, learners and community stakeholders during the field visits to evaluate programme delivery, learner participation and the learning environment in the centres.

She added that the standardized registers would enable facilitators to maintain accurate records of learners’ biodata, attendance and learning progress, thereby improving programme tracking and accountability.

“The registers will ensure uniform documentation across all centres and enable the project to effectively monitor retention and completion rates among learners,” she said.

The executive director of PIBCID, Mrs. Rachel Akande, described the monitoring exercise as a critical step toward strengthening programme delivery at the community level.

Akande commended the dedication of facilitators and the enthusiasm of learners across the centres, noting that the programme has attracted strong community interest, particularly among adolescent girls seeking opportunities to acquire literacy and life skills.

She assured that PIBCID would continue to work closely with the Kogi AGILE Project to support effective implementation and ensure that vulnerable girls in rural and underserved communities benefit from the initiative.

Activities carried out during the monitoring included inspection of learning environments, verification of learner enrolment, review of teaching materials and lesson delivery methods, as well as interactive sessions with facilitators and learners.

The teams also identified operational challenges affecting some centres and provided guidance to facilitators on the proper use of the newly introduced learners’ registers.

Key observations from the exercise indicated increased enrolment of adolescent girls in literacy programmes and strong community support for the initiative.

However, the monitoring team also identified challenges such as inadequate learning materials in some centres, irregular attendance in a few communities due to economic pressures and limited infrastructure in remote areas.

To address these challenges, the team recommended sustained supervision, provision of additional learning materials, continuous training for facilitators and intensified community sensitization to improve learner retention.