The Bauchi State Government has expressed its readiness to revitalize the six boarding schools that were de-boarded due to low enrollment.
The disclosure was made by the State Commissioner of Education, Dr. Jamila Muhammad Dahiru, during an inspection visit to the six schools in Dambam Local Government Area on Sunday.
The Commissioner explained that the State Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed, has directed the Ministry to strategically identify the schools for complete rehabilitation, renovation, and construction of facilities to ensure a conducive environment for students.
She stated that this would be achieved through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), a World Bank-assisted project of the Federal Ministry of Education aimed at improving secondary education opportunities in the country.
According to her, “We are here for an inspection visit, primarily to assess preparedness based on Governor Bala Mohammed’s approval for the re-boarding of about six schools.”
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The Commissioner emphasized that, “We can say that it has been a successful visit because at each school we visited, we engaged with the community.”
“We are aware of the conditions of the schools, which were among the reasons for their de-boarding. The governor has approved their rehabilitation and renovation through the AGILE fund,” she said.
She noted that most of the visited schools already have facilities that could be transformed and utilized effectively for the students to be re-boarded.
Jamila Dahiru recalled that low enrollment was one of the reasons some schools in the state were de-boarded.
However, she added, “You can see from the community’s enthusiasm that they have learned from their experiences and realize they were lagging behind.”
The Commissioner also remarked, “Now you can see how willing they are to mobilize and sensitize their communities to enroll their children. They even wrote to the Ministry requesting this assistance.”
“Additionally, these schools are not only for the communities they are situated in; the Ministry of Education will ensure that we are assigning students to these locations to increase enrollment,” she said.
In his vote of thanks, Mr. Iliya Isa, Deputy Chairman of Dambam LGA, praised Governor Bala Mohammed and the Education Commissioner for responding to their needs and promised to mobilize community members for an enrollment drive.
The six schools included: Government Secondary School, Dagauda (Dambam LGA), Government Secondary School, Futuk (Alkaleri LGA), and Government Day Secondary School, Kirfi (Kirfi LGA).
Others were: Government Secondary School, Sade (Darazo LGA), Government Secondary School, Udubo (Gamawa LGA), and Government Secondary School, Madara (Katagum LGA).
