Borno reduces out-of-school children from 2 million to 800,000 – Zulum

The Borno State Government says it has made significant progress in addressing the problem of out-of-school children by reducing the number in the state from over two million to 800,000.

Governor Babagana Zulum stated this on Tuesday in Maiduguri at the inauguration of 27 local government education secretaries and the distribution of 57 school monitoring vehicles.

“Since assuming office in 2019, education has been a paramount focus of my administration.

“Initially, our efforts were directed towards rebuilding our devastated school infrastructure to provide access to over two million out-of-school children in Borno.

“I am grateful that, by the grace of Allah, the number of out-of-school children has now decreased to less than 800,000,” Mr Zulum said.

The governor said the vehicles inaugurated for the local government education authorities are to enhance mobility and effective monitoring, adding that the vehicles must be used strictly for official purposes by authorised drivers.

He directed the commissioner for education to provide quarterly reports on performance of each education secretary, warning that anyone performing below expectation would be replaced.

The efforts of the government to keep more children in schools have been challenging.

PREMIUM TIMES, in its report giving a timeline of attacks on schools in Borno State, said since 2009 when the Islamic sect, dubbed Boko Haram by locals because of the sect’s abhorrence of Western ways of life, including education, emerged in the once peaceful and prosperous state of Borno, the deadly sect has continued to undermine Nigerian public authorities through heinous attacks on communities and public facilities.

On 14 April 2014, Boko Haram terrorists abducted 276 schoolgirls from their dormitories in Chibok, a town in Borno State. At the time, the students were writing their final year examinations. About 57 of the girls managed to escape while on transit with their abductors, while several others were eventually released following negotiations between the government and the armed groups.

The frequency of attacks prompted former president Muhammadu Buhari to direct the military high command to relocate to Maiduguri and concentrate on the fight against insurgents, shortly after Mr Buhari assumed office in 2015.

However, this did not deter the insurgents from striking again and again. In 2018, about three years after the military moved its command to Maiduguri, 110 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram fighters from the Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi town in neighbouring Yobe state.

Amnesty also confirmed that 287 pupils and teachers were abducted in the Kaduna incident, possibly by a different terror group.

The recent attack suggests that Boko Haram terrorists still operate in many parts of Borno despite the efforts of security agencies.

Borno is the state most affected by the insurgency.