Fed Govt to sponsor 2,400 pupils from Borno, Yobe, Adamawa

Fed Govt to sponsor 2,400 pupils from Borno, Yobe, Adamawa

THE Federal Government has approved N435 million for the sponsorship of 2,400 pupils from the three Northeast states under the safe school initiative.
The amount, which is budgeted for, covers all expenses for the scheme, such as feeding and books.
Part of the money, it was learnt yesterday, will be made available as stipends to parents interested in going to the schools to check on their sons and daughters.
The first batch of students are from the three states of Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa, where a state of emergency is being enforced as a result of the activities of Boko Harram.
The approval was announced by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, shortly after a meeting with members of the Steering Committee of the Safe Schools Initiative.
She said the component involves the transfer of students from the three emergency states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno, who want to go to school in other parts of the country.
The minister, who addressed reporters after the meeting, said all is now set for the implementation of the programme, which according to her, would be launched by President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to the minister, “so far, about 800 students per state, giving a total of 2400 students for the three troubled states, have been identified for the scheme. These children would be attending any of the Unity Schools across the country.
“It is a purely voluntary programme. Parents, who have said that they would like their children from JSS 1 to SSS 3 to go to unity schools in other parts of the country and elsewhere, have made themselves known. And we have identified 800 students per state for a total of 2,400 students.
“We are supporting the cost of this. I think that for the 2,400 students, the initial cost for the first year will be about N435 million.”
The Deputy Governor of Borno State, Mr. Zannah Mustapha, said the project would also help young people in the Internal Displaces Persons camp to go to school.
Reacting, the President, Society for the Protection of Women Against Abuse, Ngozi Nwankwo, said the group was part of the initiative, adding that the students in the admitting schools were very receptive of the project.
The principals and the teachers in the receiving schools were also being sensitised on what to expect.