Group seeks reopening of closed boarding schools in Gombe

The Gombe North Unity and Development Association (GONUDA) has called on the state governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, to reopen three boarding secondary schools closed by his administration since 2014.

GONUDA is a voluntary non-partisan association of people from the Gombe North senatorial district of the state to canvass for unity and rapid development of the zone.

Speaking with newsmen on Wednesday, the Chairman, Board of Trustee of GONUDA, Mohammed Musa Kafarati, said the government should as a matter of urgency consider reopening the schools to avoid deteriorating further western education in Gombe North Senatorial District.

“The trio of Government College, Nafada, Government Secondary School, Dukku and Government Girls Secondary School, Malala was closed because of insecurity problem in the past, but we now believe the security situation has greatly improved,” he said.

Our correspondent reports that the three only boarding schools in the zone were closed down four years ago due to hitherto security concerns experienced in the state.

According to the GONUDA, even before the closure of the schools, the Gombe North zone has the largest number of out of school children, inadequate educational infrastructure and scarcity of teachers.

Kafarati added that the poor state of literacy in the zone is worsened by near absence of demand by parents, “who still remain sceptical and do not encourage enrolling their children in the available schools.”

According to the association, despite being the largest zone in terms of land mass, population and mineral resources, the Gombe North zone lagged behind the other senatorial districts of the state in development.

The board of trustees chairman added that the zone has the worst poverty index, poor medical facilities and highest number of unemployment rate and growing scourge of drug abuse.