No fewer than 10,000 pupils in Kwaya Kusar Local Government Area of Borno have received free educational materials to support their education.
The council’s education secretary, Salihu Ibrahim, disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Monday in Kwaya Kusar.
Ibrahim said the state government distributed the materials to pupils across primary and junior secondary 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 school while enrolling new pupils.
“The materials include uniforms, sandals, exercise books, pencils, pens, mathematical sets, sports kits, first-aid boxes and school bags,” he said.
He added that the council had recorded more than 1,200 new enrolments since the term began over a month ago.
Ibrahim said that, with support from the state government and council chairman Dahiru Hamma, some schools that had closed because of a shortage 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 Governor Babagana Zulum for prioritising education and investing in the future of children in Kwaya Kusar.
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.
