SAN FRANCISCO, November 19, (THEWILL) It was excitement galore Monday in Borno State as public primary schools resume academic activities after eight months of forced holiday occasioned by the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.
In most of the schools in visited by THEWILL correspondent in Maiduguri and Jere, the pupils as well as their teachers expressed optimism of an interrupted academic session despite the prevailing insecurity in the state.
At the Yerwa Central Primary School, Lamisula Primary School, Hausari and old Maiduguri both in Maiduguri and Jere Local Government Area, a large turnout of pupils was recorded as lectures commenced in earnest.
Expressing optimism on the re-opening, the chairman of the committee on the resuscitation of primary education in Borno, Dr. Mohammed Dongel, who visited some of the schools, assured parents that government is ready to provide adequate security for both pupils and teachers.
“The Borno State Government has also put also necessary machinery in motion to ensure that the pupils learn under conducive environment to ensure improvement in standard of primary education,” he said, disclosing that 450 primary schools out of the 1,357 schools have so far resumed.
Maintaining that the turnout of pupils who have resumed for lectures is impressive, Dongel said “So far, the turnout of pupils is impressive with 70 percent and we hope that by next week the turnout will be 100 percent.”
According to him, “Governor Kashim Shettima will in the next two weeks flag off the free uniform and feeding programme for the pupils.”
