Hope Rekindles For The Education Of Children Orphaned By B’Haram | Tellwell Newspaper
•Orphans Specially Considered As Zulum Enrolls 4,229 At Monguno
Hope was rekindled last Sunday in Borno State, for the proper education of thousands of children orphaned by Boko Haram, Tellwell Newspaper has observed.
A sizeable population of them were among the 4,229 school-aged children enrolled into school at Monguno. Governor Babagana Umara Zulum led the enrollment exercise. Sunday was the first day of the exercise which, Tellwell Newspaper learnt, would run for a couple of days.
The enrollment is taking place simultaneously in other parts of the state.
Re-enrolling school-aged displaced children in schools has formed key parts of the agendas of the Zulum administration and that of his predecessor, Kashin Shettima as part of the comprehensive rebuilding of the insurgency-battered Borno society and repositioning it on the path of post-insurgency prosperity.
In the Monguno exercise, children aged between 6 and 13 were enrolled into primary and junior secondary schools, depending on their academic statuses before they were displaced by insurgents from communities in Monguno, Kukawa, Guzamala and Marte Local Government Areas, all in northern Borno.
After numerous attacks on communities in the aforementioned LGAs since 2014, residents including thousands of children escaped to Monguno town to live in IDP camps for years, with many children consequently missing school.
“Today we are here in Monguno for only one purpose, to enroll your wards to schools,” Zulum told guardians and parents of wards and children enrolled.
The governor applauded parents and guardians for the large turnout to present their children and wards for the mass enrollment.
Sunday’s enrollment was the third mass admission of displaced children in Monguno town by the Zulum administration.
… Orders more hostel, staff quarters for Fed Poly
Amid leading enrollment of children into basic schools, Governor Zulum took time to visit and assess ongoing construction and renovation works at a site he had approved for the Federal Polytechnic in Monguno.
Zulum inspected lecture halls, offices for principal officers and staff quarters.
The Governor directed the construction of additional hostel, staff quarters and admin block at the Federal Polytechnic.
Zulum had previously approved and released N100m to enable the school to take-off soon after it was approved by President Buhari in January, 2021.
Meanwhile, visiting the polytechnic, the Governor rounded up Sunday’s inspection at an ongoing construction of zonal office of a newly created monitoring and evaluation unit from which some trained officials will be monitoring government establishments such as schools and hospitals.
Monguno’s zonal office which is to coordinate oversights of the 10 LGAs in northern Borno senatorial district was at 95% level of completion when Zulum visited on Sunday.
Similar zonal offices are being established in Biu for the seven LGAs in Southern Borno senatorial district and in Maiduguri for the eight LGAs Borno central senatorial district.
Governor Zulum traveled to Monguno in company of Barrister Mohammed Tahir Monguno, the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, and APC’s senatorial candidate for Northern Borno.
Other members of the Governor’s delegation included Commissioner of Education, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe, Member Representing Marte at the Borno State House of Assembly, Commissioner Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Engr Mustapha Gubio; Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs Sugun Mai Male, the Executive Secretary, Borno State Education Trust Fund, Alh. Maina Yaumi, and members of a committee set up by the Governor on mass enrollment of out of school children from four LGAs gathered at IDP camps in Monguno.
