By Usman Ahmed Shehu
As the Connected Development team drew the cotton of its habitual assessment in Zaki Local Government Area, there was a quiet sense that something meaningful had been uncovered, not just across distance, but within lives in harmony with global best practices.
From the outskirts of Bauchi Local Government to the far reaches of Ningi, Alkaleri, and finally Zaki, the Connected Development (CODE) Girls Education Project had revealed a pattern of change that was both subtle and powerful which began as an intervention, now steadily becoming a movement that is reshaping how girls see themselves and how communities respond to their potential.
In Tirwum Secondary School, in Bauchi LGA, the story first came into focus with classrooms once defined by hesitation and limited participation are now alive with engaging girls who once struggled with low self-esteem, now sit with tablets in their hands, learning not just academic subjects but practical life skills on how to produce sanitary pads, manage small-scale businesses, and protect themselves in challenging situations.
During a monitoring and evaluation visit, CODE’s Quality Assurance Officer, Onayi Amina Lawal, moved through the school with careful attention, observing not just attendance or participation, but the deeper impact of the programme with a set goal, explaining that, to measure real change needs something that statistics alone cannot fully capture.
The beneficiaries, spoke with a clarity that suggested growth; many described how mentorship sessions had helped them find their voice, how training had given them confidence to make decisions, and how they now approach challenges with a sense of courage rather than fear, saying things that were once difficult, now the uncertainty is gradually being replaced by purpose.
Their parents, confirming the shift, observed that their daughters who once kept things to themselves are now more expressive, more responsible, and more thoughtful in discussions at home, approach problems calmly, and increasingly focus on solutions rather than withdrawal, which many parents see as sudden and both surprising and reassuring.
These personal transformations are also producing measurable outcomes in school attendance, improvement in classroom participation and fewer girls are dropping out; according to the tea, the link between confidence and continuity in education is becoming clearer with each visit.
Maintaining that the vision driving this change remains deliberate.“We are committed to enhancing access to quality education for the girl child and ensuring they remain in school,” Onayi noted during the tour, reinforcing CODE’s dual focus on education and personal development.
The Bauchi Project Coordinator and Acting Chief Executive of Connected Development, Hyeladzira James Mshelia, highlighted the development of a Gender Responsive Education Sector Planning and Budgeting (GRESP) roadmap. This framework is designed to ensure that girls are not an afterthought in educational planning, but remains a central focus, from enrollment, retention to completion.
She also acknowledged the support of the Bauchi State Government under Governor Bala Mohammed, particularly in creating an enabling environment for such interventions and in recognizing advocates like Dorathy Stephen, who now serves on the Ministerial Committee on Sexual Harassment under the ministry of higher education.
By the time the team arrived in Zaki, the journey had taken on a reflective tone where the communities visited may differ in landscape and circumstance, but the impact of the project carried a consistent thread in their socio-cultural matrix driven from within.
At Zaki, as in the other LGAs, the story was no longer about access alone, rather about transforming the girls who once stood at the margins, now beginning to step forward with confidence, with skills, and with a renewed sense of identity.
As the visit stopped at Zaki, there were no grand declarations, just quiet acknowledgments, exchanged glances, and the understanding that something significant was underway.
What is happening across Alkaleri, Bauchi, Ningi, and Zaki is more than a project timeline. It is a shift in mindset among girls, within families, and across communities.
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