By Idris Khalid
Bauchi state Universal Basic education Board (BASUB) has returned 153,398 out of school children to classrooms under the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA).
The State Chairman of SUBEB Dr. Abubakar Sirimbai Sheikh Dahiru stated this when he declared open the twin separate trainings of 158 enumerators and supervisors and sensitization of local government chairmen, traditional and community leaders and Tsangaya scholars on the objectives of BESDA in Almajiri education in the state.
Dr Sirimbai said, “BESDA is a World Bank Programme in collaboration with the federal and state government with the aim of returning out of School children to school. In the first phase of the exercise which was carried out last year under the project 94,000 pupils were returned to school in nine local government areas, and this year seven local government were added which brought the number of the local government to 16 out of 20 local government areas.”
Chairman who is the State Project Coordinator of the programme said a community mapping was carried out in October 2021 in 16 local government areas where they identified 1,220,750 out of school children, the number is worrisome, because out of the number 488,300 are male while 732,450 are female and the state is expected to return at least 153,398 to school.
According to him local government registered for the programme include, Alkaleri, Bauchi, Dambam , Darazo, Itas Gadau, Misau, Katagum, Zaki, Shira, Giade, Jamaare, Toro, Dass, Ganjuwa, Ningi, and Gamawa Local Government areas.
He said, “The programme cater for the welfare of the pupils by providing conducive atmosphere for learning for them we provide all learning and instructional materials, to them, we provide water, toilets, soaps, omo, uniform, disable cycles to ease their transportation to school and we provide special needs for the pupils, we build temporary leaning shades and equip them with desk chairs and we provide mats, blankets and uniforms to the pupils.”
Dr Sirimbai added that, “Last year we recruited 2500 teachers that teach the 94,000 pupils that graduated and presently we are going to recruit over 3334 qualified teachers that will teach in the centers we intend to establish.”
He appeal to parents community and religious leaders to support the Governor Bala Mohammed efforts to bring education to the door steps of their pupils and his effort to restore the lost glory of education in the state.
In their separate remarks the enumerators and traditional and community leaders expressed gratitude to the SUBEB for organizing the training and sensitization workshop which they learned a lot and pledge to put in their best for the success of the exercise.
