Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has enrolled 3,000 children, mostly from underprivileged families in two mega schools in Maiduguri and Jere local government areas.
The two schools built by his administration at Ajilari Cross in Jere, and Abuja-Sheraton in Maisandari ward of Maiduguri metropolitan council, both low-income communities, have many school-aged children out of school and the schools were basically designed to take care of their educational need.
The elegant three-storey designed schools, each has 30 classrooms built to accommodate between 40 to 50 pupils per class at the maximum, with a total about 3,000 pupils in 60 classrooms.
The schools were equipped with desks and chairs with pupils admitted and provided with free uniforms.
Forty-eight teaching and non-teaching staff which include the head-teachers are to serve both schools at equal ratio, with the schools having spaces for future expansion
A statement by the governor’s spokesman, Mallam Isa Gusau said Prof. Zulum announced on Monday during a short occasion marking the opening of the school, that: “Government is handing over the school to the community and the community is expected to run the school through a Committee within the community, while Government will pay teachers salary through the Education Trust Fund on monthly basis by way of grants to the School.
“In addition to this, Government is determined to maintain and sustain the school in close collaboration with community efforts in ways that will serve generations.”
The statement said that at Ajilari, Zulum ordered the construction of two deep aquifer boreholes to serve community members around the Mega school there.
The statement recalled that Zulum had recently approved the recruitment of over 700 teachers for secondary schools and promised employing hundreds for primary schools when ongoing verification and standardization of teachers is completed.
In another development, the governor also commissioned a newly constructed road and network of drainage at Moromoro community within Maiduguri.
He also announced the dualization of 10km customs-Muna road, a commercial routes along Maiduguri-Mafa-Dikwa road.
He said the project would be executed at a cost of N5 billion and would begin in the next 15 days.
He said the dualize road will connect to Borno’s first flyover which is actively being constructed by a Chinese firm around the customs roundabout that had been congested for many years.