AfriPulse
Gombe State First Lady, Asma’u Inuwa Yahaya, on Monday, flagged off free registration of children in Gombe Local Government Area as part of efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state.
According to official records, Gombe has no fewer than 787,619 out-of-school children out of its four million population.
Concerned by the figure, the state government, through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and UNICEF, launched an enrolment drive campaign aimed at cutting the number by 50 percent before 2030.
The initiative provides free registration and school materials to children across the 11 local government areas of the state.
Speaking at the flag-off in Gombe LGA, the First Lady urged parents to support the programme by enrolling their children in school, stressing that Governor Inuwa Yahaya remains committed to child welfare, including education, healthcare, and nutrition.
Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Babaji Babadidi, explained that the drive was designed to promote behavioural change, ensuring retention, completion, and transition of pupils into formal education.
He said each LGA was assigned a target of enrolling at least 20,000 children, making a total of 220,000 across the state.
Commissioner for Education, Aishatu Maigari, described the initiative as a significant step toward bridging the gap in access to education and fostering sustainable development.
She urged local government chairmen to ensure children remain in school until they complete their secondary education.
“With this enrolment drive, Gombe State is making a bold step towards reducing the number of out-of-school children and positioning education as a fundamental tool for development,” she said.
Source: Guardian Nigeria | Read the Full Story…
