Mohammed says Bauchi records 1.4 million out-of-school children, figure highest in Nigeria

Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state on Thursday lamented the leading position of the state in the number of children not attending schools in spite of the positive efforts of government in the Education sector.

Speaking during a town-hall meeting in Bauchi,the governor said that the state had the highest number of out-of-school children of 1.4 million in the country.

He reiterated his administration’s determination to improve the Education and Health sectors in the state.

“Those out-of-school children are our children; they.may not go to school maybe because of poverty if their parents cannot afford it.

“Today, we have built over 300 new schools in all the nooks and crannies of Bauchi state, and also renovated about 500 others.

“It shows that there is a new approach and to make sure that our children go to school,” he said.

Mohammed also promised that all the secondary schools in the state would soon be renovated.

He recounted the efforts of the state government in the Health sector, saying it had renovated 106 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the state.

The governor assured that with the collaboration of development partners like UNICEF and European Union (EU), quality equipment would be supplied to all the PHCs renovated for effective delivery of service.