Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
Gombe Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, said atleast 140,000 out-of-school children have been enrolled in various classes as part of efforts to curb the menace of illiteracy in the state.
Yahaya stated this at an event marking the distribution of ATM cards to beneficiaries of the Public Workfare (PWF) and Special Grant Transfers ( SGT) of the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) in Kwami Local Government Area. He said the target was to get about 500,000 out-of-school children back to classrooms.
Responding to a request by Ambassador Yarima Ibrahim Abdullahi, Nigeria’s former minister of Education, who demanded improved infrastructural development in the educational sector, Governor Yahaya said he was also worried by the state of the educational system.
“We are aware that the price of leaving our people uneducated is not a good one. So I enjoin our people and other traditional leaders to key into our Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) project to identify out of school children to make sure they are sent back to school. We will work hard to change the narrative. Education is the backbone of development and it is education that can bridge the gap caused by retirements and old age and pull our state out of challenges,” Yahaya said.