No fewer than 10, 000 school pupils in Kwaya Kusar Local Government Area of Borno have received free educational materials from the State Government to support their education.
The Education Secretary of the Council, Dr Salihu Ibrahim, said this in Kwaya Kusar, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
Ibrahim said the material support was aimed at assisting vulnerable children, strengthening school retention while boosting enrolment of out-of-school children.
He said the materials had been distributed to the pupils across primary and junior secondary schools in the council.
The education secretary said the gesture had encouraged parents in the council to enrol their children into public schools.
According to him, some of the materials were used to intensify educational campaigns across villages, markets, farms and other locations to encourage parents to enrol their children.
“So far, the results are impressive and we are keeping more children in schools while enrolling new pupils.
“We have distributed the educational materials as provided by the state government under the leadership of Gov. Babagana Zulum.
“The materials include uniforms, sandals, exercise books, pencils, pens, mathematical sets, sports kits, first aid box and school bags,” he said.
The secretary added that through the support, the council had recorded more than 1,200 new enrolments since the term commenced over a month ago.
He stressed that with the support of the state government and the Council Chairman, Dahiru Hamma, some schools that were earlier closed because of the dearth of teachers, had reopened.
“We are currently having 78 primary and junior secondary schools in the council with a population of 42, 350 pupils and students.
“The numbers are increasing because we are passionate about our children and what they could become in the future, if properly educated.
“We are strengthening monitoring to ensure that all our schools are functional and teachers’ truancy is tackled in the interest of our children,” he said.
Ibrahim commended Zulum for prioritising the education sector, and investing resources towards protecting the future of Kwaya Kusar children.
He also commended the hard working Hon. Lawan Abba Wakilbe, the state’s Commissioner of Education Science Technology and Innovation for his commitment to reforming and improving the sector.
He called on parents to take advantage of the state government’s investment in the sector to educate their children.
“As it stands today, no child should be left at home or in the street when everything needed for him or her to be in school has been provided.
“Parents in Kwaya Kusar need to support the government by enrolling their children in school as a way of guaranteeing their future,” he said.