FG Launches Mobile Schools in IDP Camps

05 Oct 2015

An IDP camp

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja
Children of Internally Displaced Person of school-age in some parts of the North-east affected by the insurgency are back in school as the federal government launched Mobile Containerised schools last week in Maiduguri, Borno State.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President, Mr. Laolu Akande, said a 50-foot container being used as a mobile classroom, would efficiently contain 35 students and was fully equipped with basic educational materials and furnishing including solar panels for electricity powering lights and fans.

The mobile classes are complete with chairs and tables, blackboard/whiteboard, a projector and a metal storage cabinet.
Speaking at the launch held on Tuesday at the Dalori IDP Camp in the Borno State capital, the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), recalled that the project was one of the many things that would come the way of the North-east following his visit to Borno State in July at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The launch of this Containerised Schools is a major step and a sheer demonstration that we are working towards-building the infrastructure in the North-east as we need to secure the future of our children,” the vice-president remarked in a message delivered on his behalf by his aide, Dr. Mariam Masha.

In his address, Governor Kashim Shettima commended the federal government and the Presidential Initiative on the North-east, PINE, for coming to the aid of the IDPs in Borno State adding that these containerised mobile schools would help to make qualitative education affordable to the vulnerable school-aged children who had been most affected by the activities of insurgents.

The UNICEF Representative, Mr. Frank Ndiaye, said the organisation agreed to partner with both the federal government and the Borno State in order to improve the educational standard of Nigeria.

He said education was a powerful driver in the development of the family, community as well as the entire nation.

The Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on the North East, Professor Adesoji Adelaja, described the project as a remarkable initiative towards the fulfillment of federal government’s strides at reviving North-east education with a clarion call on Nigerians to further partner with government towards realising the rebuilding objectives.

In his goodwill message, Chairman of Victims Support Fund, General Theophilus Danjuma, who was represented by the Vice-Chairman, Mr. Tijani Musa Tumsa, said the educational sector in the North-east was the worst hit since the outbreak of the insurgency as over 60-per cent of the schools had been turned into IDs Camps.

The Mobile Containerised Schools program is being implemented in collaboration with states and local governments areas, NEMA, IDP Camps, Community leaders, SUBEB, UBEC, UNICEF, Local and International NGOs active in the North-east region, Private Sector and other critical stakeholders.
This school programme under the Presidential Initiative on the North-east is being initially launched in the three North-east states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe and will target IDP camps with the highest number of school-age children to be enrolled in schools as well as LGAs/Communities with the highest number of IDP returnees.

Also in attendance at the launch were traditional rulers including the Shehu of Borno, Dr. Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi and other dignitaries from the state, and security agencies.