School-age children of Internally Displaced Persons in some parts of the North-East affected by the insurgency are back in school as the Federal Government launched Mobile Containerized schools last week in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The 50-foot container is a mobile classroom, which efficiently contains 35 students and is fully equipped with basic educational materials and furnishing including solar panels for electricity powering lights and fans.
The mobile classes are complete with chairs and tables, blackboard/whiteboard, a projector and a metal storage cabinet.
Speaking at the launch held on Tuesday at the Dalori Internally Displaced Camp in the Borno State capital, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo recalled that the project was one of the many things that will come the way of the North-East following his visit to Borno State in July at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The launch of this containerized schools is a major step and a sheer demonstration that we are working towards-building the infrastructure in the North-East as we need to secure the future of our children”, the Vice President remarked in a message delivered on his behalf by his aide, Mariam Masha.
In his address, Governor Kashim Shettima commended the Federal Government and the Presidential Initiative on the North-East, PINE, for coming to the aid of the IDPs in Borno State adding that these containerized mobile schools will help to make qualitative education affordable to the vulnerable school-aged children who have been most affected by the activities of insurgents.
The UNICEF Representative, Frank Ndiaye, said the organization considered the partnership with both the Federal Government as well as Borno State important so as to improve the educational standard of Nigeria because education is a powerful driver in the development of the family, community as well as the entire nation.
The Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on the North East, Adesoji Adelaja, a professor, described the project as a remarkable initiative towards the fulfilment of Federal Government’s strides at reviving North-East Educational System with a clarion call on Nigerians to further partner with government towards realizing the rebuilding objectives.
In his goodwill message, Chairman of Victims Support Fund, Theophilus Danjuma, who was represented by the Vice-Chairman, Tijani Tumsa, said the educational sector in the North-East was the worst hit since the outbreak of the insurgency as over sixty-per cent of the schools have now been turned into IDPs Camps.
The Mobile Containerized Schools program is being implemented in collaboration with states and local governments areas, NEMA, IDP Camps, community leaders, SUBEB, UBEC, UNICEF, local and international NGOs active in the North-East region, private sector and other critical stakeholders.
This school programme under the Presidential Initiative on the North-East is being initially launched in the 3 North-East states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe and will target IDP camps with the highest number of school-age children to be enrolled in schools as well as LGAs/Communities with the highest number of IDP returnees.
Also in attendance at the launching were traditional rulers, including the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, and other dignitaries from the state, and security agencies.
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