Flood: 6 schools still inaccessible – Borno govt

The Borno State government has disclosed that six public schools were still inaccessible and can’t be used for learning following the devastating flood that ravaged Maiduguri and its environs last month.

The Commissioner for Education, Science Technology and Innovation, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe, disclosed this while receiving a donation from NGOs, the Center for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative (CATAI), and Unique Care and Support Foundation (CASFOD) to support school children affected by recent floods in Jere and Maiduguri.

Wakilbe lamented that the recent disaster has left a huge setback on the education calendar in the state, noting that government has initiated a damage assessment to all destroyed school infrastructure

He also promised that the state government would soon put measures in place to enable children to return to classrooms as soon as possible.

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“Our teams inspected the majority of our schools in the flood-affected areas like Abbaganaram, Goni Kachallahari, old Maiduguri, Gomboru and others, and most of the children are without uniforms or any writing materials.

“Some of our schools will start in the next two weeks, because there are like five or six schools that have not dried up, we are waiting for the soil to dry to see what effect it has on our buildings.

“Then, there are other schools that are not good enough for learning because the flood has severely affected it and we need to demolish them and rebuild it again. So, your donations are timely, as you have pointed out, it is for the provision of school uniforms, school sanders for most of the students affected in Jere and Maiduguri. I can assure CATAI and CASFOD that it will be utilized judiciously. I thank you for this support,” he said.

Earlier, the Executive Director of CATAI, Abubakar Sadiq Muazu, explained that the two NGOs are members of Education in Emergency Sector Group which prioritises access to quality education, and safe learning environment for school-age children.

“Aside from this donation, CATAI and CASFOD are supplying over 700 school bags and books to further support student retention across the affected areas. This strategic intervention would alleviate the financial burden on parents, ensuring children can return to school as soon as possible,” he said.