Boko Haram: There are over 400,000 out-of-school children in Yobe – Governor Buni

THE Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni said the number of out-of-school children stands at 400,000 due to the spate of Boko Haram attacks that have been recorded in the state.

Governor Buni said the government was making positive efforts to addressed the ugly situation in the state.

This is just as he disclosed that in view to arresting the ugly situations in the education sector, his administration has initiated reforms that have made the state the second-highest in terms of budgetary allocation to the education sector.

Governor Buni stated this on Tuesday in Kano at a retreat for new Yobe commissioners-designate that took place at Porto Golf Hotel in Bompai Kano.

It would interest you to note that the expert technical committee for the revitalisation of basic and secondary education has also identified well over 400,000 out of school children in the state. I strongly believe that this is an issue that requires urgent attention through the integration of the Tsangaya/Qur’anic school system with the formal education system in the state.

Governor Buni, who identified education as the root for effective socioeconomic development declared that it is important to make education a number one priority in the state.

His words: “A society that gets its education right would always get its socio-economic development on the right path. This is true across the globe. This is why we strongly believe that it is important that we make education our number one priority in the state.

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According to him, “as our first order of business, therefore, we began taking the steps necessary to revitalise our education sector and provide the best possible opportunities for our people to have access to qualitative education”

He further disclosed that a recent survey also found that Yobe has the second-highest allocation for education in the 2020 budget among all states of the federation. That shows that our development strategy is being recognised.

“We are mindful of the fact that to fully recover from the devastating effects of the Boko Haram insurgency, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to development where the Federal Government, development partners and our state government pool resources together to help our people recover and rebuild their livelihoods.

“We organised and hosted an education summit – the first of its kind in the state, set up an expert technical committee on the revitalisation of basic and secondary education and moved to ensure that only qualified teachers stand in front of the classroom to teach our children.

“I am glad to inform you that we have already begun to implement the recommendations of the Interim Report submitted by the Committee.

“As part of this, I have approved for the establishment of a teacher training and curriculum development centre.

“I have also approved for the establishment of three Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education schools, one in each of our three senatorial districts,” he stated.

While still speaking on the issue of the devastation of Boko Haram as it affects the people, He noted that the government has also initiated plans to enhance skills in the youths to make them self dependent.

The state government, he said has also demonstrated its commitment to empowerment and human capital development through the training that it is currently providing in paint production to over 500 youths across the state.

“We are demonstrating – with that training – that we are not just going to provide the proverbial fish to our youths. More importantly, we are going to teach them how to fish – so that they could have as much fish as they are ready to work for.”