By Abubakar Rabilu, Gombe
The Gombe South Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Gombe State has commenced an enrolment drive aimed at returning 10,000 out-of-school children to classrooms, beginning with 5,000 pupils in the first phase.
The initiative, spearheaded by the LCDA Chairman, Alhaji Auwalu Jauro Bappi, also involves the distribution of school uniforms, books and other learning materials to pupils in five selected primary schools.
Speaking at the launch of the programme, Bappi said about 9,000 books had been procured, while 150 uniforms were provided for each of the five schools for boys and girls aged between six and 11.
He said the council would monitor the beneficiaries through school registers and conduct an assessment two weeks after the distribution to ascertain whether the children had remained in school.
Bappi said the council would also support pupils who might drop out because of challenges such as PTA levies, lack of uniforms and inadequate parental support.
“Our target for now is 5,000 children, but ultimately, we want to bring back about 10,000 out-of-school children across Gombe South,” he said.
He said the programme would be sustained through budgetary provisions, a monitoring committee and continuous evaluation.
According to him, education and primary healthcare would remain his major priorities, adding that the schools were selected based on their level of vulnerability and enrolment challenges.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Barrister Sani Ahmad Haruna, said the initiative was consistent with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s directive to the chairmen of the 13 newly established development areas to prioritise education, healthcare, security and agriculture.
Haruna described education as the foundation of human development and urged the chairman to sustain the intervention.
He also appealed to parents to ensure that their children attended school regularly and made proper use of the materials provided.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr Aishatu Umar Maigari, represented by Abubakar Abdullahi, commended the initiative and urged parents to monitor the beneficiaries and ensure that the materials were used for their intended purpose.
The Education Secretary of Gombe Local Government, Abubakar A. Baba, said the intervention was timely, noting that some children had yet to return to school after the reopening of schools due to economic difficulties facing their families.
He commended Bappi for providing funds equivalent to registration fees paid by parents to enable the affected schools to meet some of their operational needs.
Baba also disclosed that five school toilets had been renovated following an assessment, while a damaged borehole at Mu’azu School was repaired after the chairman released N130,000 for the work.
Meanwhile, Hakimin Doma, Abdullahi Maikano, urged the state government to prioritise teachers’ welfare, saying learning materials alone could not improve education without adequately motivated teachers.
The five schools selected for the intervention are Pantami, Mu’azu Bolari, Jalo Waziri, Yelanguruza and Gabukka Primary Schools.
