The Executive Chairman, Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Grace Adagba, has called for strong collaboration with the muslim community to promote the enrolment of children, particularly girls iin basic schools, and to partner on infrastructural development in nomadic schools across the state.
Adagba, in a press statement by the board’s information officer, Emmanuella Akese, made the call during a courtesy visit to the Chief Imam of Benue State, Sheikh Dr. Suleiman Habib, at the Central Mosque in Wadata, Makurdi.
The engagement is part of SUBEB’s broader campaign to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state.
Addressing the muslim faithful, Adagba expressed concern over the high number of out-of-school children in muslim communities in the state, noting that basic education should be a collective responsibility.
She appealed to religious and traditional leaders to support the campaign by sensitising their communities on the value of education.
She commended the state governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, for his continued support to the basic education sector, stating that basic education had received the highest budgetary allocation under his administration.
According to her, the governor’s interventions had led to significant achievements, including the construction of modern storey-building classrooms, replacement of chalkboards with whiteboards, revival of sports and craft activities and prompt payment of teachers’ salaries to boost staff morale, among others.
The SUBEB boss also revealed that the Board manages 31 nomadic schools across the state, of which 23 are currently functional, while 8 were affected by the crisis in the past administration.
Adagba called on stakeholders to partner with the Board to rebuild the affected schools.
The SUBEB boss disclosed plans to launch a “Catch-Them-Young” Campaign, targeting community-based sensitisation to boost school enrollment.
On teacher recruitment, Adagba assured applicants that the process remains transparent and fair, emphasising that no applicant who had undergone biometric capture would be left out in the issuance of employment letters.
In his remarks, the Chief Imam of Benue State, Sheikh Habib, commended Adagba for initiating the visit and described it as the first of its kind.
He lauded the Alia administration for its visible transformation in basic education, stating that Adagba’s appointment was a “round peg in a round hole.”
He also acknowledged SUBEB’s efforts in upgrading the Arabic School in Wadata and appealed for the domestication of Almajiri schools in Benue, as done in other states. The Imam pledged the commitment of the Muslim Elders Council to support SUBEB’s mass enrollment drive.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) of Arabic Primary School, Alhaji Danladi Umaru, expressed gratitude to SUBEB for selecting the school for upgrade.
He assured the Executive Chairman of the community’s support for education programmes and encouraged her to remain focused despite distractions.
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