20m out of school children alarming, FG’s ARC Programme to tackle problem—Dr. Uwais  

–-Urges 830 youth facilitators, trained in Borno to own the programme

AHMED MARI, Maiduguri

Worried by the alarming number of over 20 million out of school children in the country and the need to tackle the problem, the Federal Government through the At Risks Children Programme (ARC-P) in collaboration with the Borno State government has trained 830  youth facilitators who will in turn train 41,000 vulnerable and at risk children in the state.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the ARC P youth facilitation training programme held at the Sir Kashim Ibrshim College of Education, Maiduguri during the weekend, the Special Adviser to President Muhammad Buhari on Social Investment and National Coordinator, ARC-P, Hajiya Maryam Uwais, has called on the trained youth facilitators of the ARC-P  to take ownership of the programme and help government in taking off the streets about 20 million out of school children.

Hajiya Uwais urged the youth facilitators to help these children to not only acquire western education but also acquire skills that will help them in their lives.

“I also want you to provide necessary data on your challenges, progress and areas that need improvement, as these will assist greatly. The Federal Government wants an end to out of school children because the figure is alarming”, Uwais added.

While declaring the three-week training closed, the  Borno state Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, said  the ARC- P programme would greatly help in taking off the streets, the over 56,000 orphans of Boko Haram insurgency.

Represented by his Deputy, Hon. Umar Kadafur, the Governor said: “I want to commend President Muhammadu Buhati  for the intervention, as this programme is in line with my administration’s post-insurgency rehabilitation and resettlement efforts.”

He assured that the Borno State government will continue to partner with the Federal Government, international donors and Non-governmental Organisations in changing lives of the returning displaced persons.

Governor Zulum urged the youths facilitators to step down the knowledge and skills acquired to the At Risk Children across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.

Also in her remarks, the Borno State First Lady, Dr Falmata Babagana Zulum,  commended the Federal Government for the ARC P programme in the state which was aimed at taking off the streets out of school children in the country..

The First Lady represented by the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Zuwaira Gambo, said “this programme will in no small measure assist in the ongoing resettlement and reintegration programme of the Borno State government, The figure of over 56,000 orphans of Boko Haram insurgency in the state is alarming and a concerted and deliberate efforts like ARC need to be put in place to address the problem of out-of-school children in the country”.

She said the ARCP programme has opened a windows of opportunities to over 56,000 children in the state as it will help integrating them back to the society and urged the youths facilitators to help the Federal Government in taking the children out of the streets by dedicating themselves to their duties.

Earlier, the Borno State coordinator of ARC-P, Hajiya Innah Galadima,  said It could be recalled that the “training of 830 youths facilitators was commenced in this Hall on the 14th November, 2022, a journey of thousand miles begins with a step.  Today, we are here to close the training”.

“These 830 youths were selected carefully across the 18 benefiting Local Government Areas of the state; each facilitator is expected to train and mentor 50 children and they are expected to train over 41,000 children in the state”, Galadima added.

Also, the state Commissioner for Education, Engr. Abba Wakolbe, said the programme will help in reducing children that were out of school in the state, stressing that with the  reduction of  41,000 children out of the streets, he is optimistic that it will greatly assist in changing the narrative.

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