Banditry: Out-of-school children hits 775,000 in Katsina

By FRANCIS SARDAUNA

The Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has disclosed that there are about 775,000 out-of-school children across the 34 local government areas of the state as a result of banditry and COVID-19 pandemic.

The Director, Social Mobilization of the Board, Abdulmalik Bello, who unvealed this Wednesday at a planning meeting with the media on Back to School and Behavioural Change Campaign, said Kankara and Kafur Local Governments have the highest number of the out-of-school children.

THISDAY reports that the Back to School and Behavioural Change Campaign is supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and sponsored by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

He explained that in 2018, the state had 1,137,000 out-of-school children but 360,000 have returned to school due to the unflinching efforts of the state government, Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and UNICEF.

He affirmed that the board, in collaboration with the UNICEF and other development partners, was targeting the return of additional 200,000 out-of-school children, including the Al-majirai to school this year through the Back to School and Behavioural Change Campaign.

Bello said: “In 2018, Katsina had 1,137,000 out-of-school children and from that time, the board and state government joined hand with UNICEF where we were able to bring back 360,000 children to school.

“Based on Annual School Census report, we now have over 775,000 out-of-school children. This prompted us to embark on another massive back to school campaign across the state.

“We are targeting to bring back 200,000 out-of-school children, including the Al-majirai to school this year through the Back to School and Behavioural Change Campaign.”

Earlier, the UNICEF Focal Personal, Ministry of Education, Binta Abdulmumin, said the organisation was embarking on the back to school campaign in Kankara and Kafur because they are the local government areas with the highest number of out-of-school children in the state. (THISDAY)