High rate of illiteracy, unemployment in Bauchi worrisome – CSOs

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Bauchi State have lamented the high prevalence of illiteracy and unemployment among youths in the state.

Speaking under the aegis of Forums of Executive Directors of Civil Society Organizations in Bauchi State, they lamented that about 80 per cent of youth in the state are either not educated or unemployed.

Addressing a press conference, chairman of the forum, Sodangi Chindo, charged the state Governor Bala Mohammed to give priority to education and youths employment in his first 100 days

They lamented that, a survey carried out by National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS) and UNICEF had shown that Bauchi had the highest out of school children in Nigeria.

The Forum therefore, opined that, with 1.3 million out of school children that are still not enrolled in school, there was the need for the governor to declare a state of emergency in the education sector.

The CSOs also called for a long term development plan that will guide the administration to tackle the myriads of challenges facing the educational and other sectors.