The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has begun the building of more schools in Yobe State, and other parts of the North-East, as part of measures to address the growing number of out-of-school children in the region.
The Managing Director of the Commission, Mohammed Alkali, disclosed this on Saturday in Gasua, Zamfara State capital.
He said that the Boko Haram insurgency has been the bane of both primary and secondary schools in the North-East region.
The Managing Director revealed: “Widespread poverty coupled with insecurity, has rendered an estimated 600,000 young people unable to go beyond the primary or secondary school levels.
“As such, millions of the out-of-school children in the Region remain uneducated, justifying the need for massive intervention in the development of school infrastructure.
“Consequently, the Commission resolved to construct three composite mega schools or upgrading of existing ones in each States of the region, thus making 18, one in each of the Senatorial District.
“We are also going to complement the physical structure with soft support like teachers’ training, curriculum and upgrade.”
In reaction, the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, represented by his Chief of Staff, Abdullahi Yusuf, said the NEDC’s project was “timely and desirable.”
He challenged all relevant stakeholders in the region to help protect the projects.
