Attacks: 20,000 Benue Children Forced Out Of School – SUBEB Chairman
From Msughshima Andrew, Makurdi
Following renewed herdsmen’s attacks in parts of Benue in 2018, 20,000 children has been forced out of school in the state, the Chairman of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Rev. Philip Tachin has disclosed.
Tachin made the disclosure after he and members of the board’s management team inspected completed and ongoing primary school projects constructed under the Benue State Government and the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, intervention fund.
He stated that more than 50 public primary school structures were destroyed during renewed herdsmen’s attacks in the affected areas in 2018 with more than 20,000 children forced out of school.
According to him, of this number, more than 16, 000 of the children were taking refuge in various internally displaced person’s camps in the state.
said more primary schools have been slated for rehabilitation before the end of Governor Samuel Ortom’s first tenure.
The schools inspected included the Local Government Education Authority, LGEA, primary schools in Gbajimba and Mbabegha in Guma local government area as well as St. Theresa’s Primary School in Makurdi.
Reverend Tachin disclosed that 426 projects have been completed while 229 were still under construction and rehabilitation.
He noted that 79 of the projects have been terminated.
According to him the board also procured thousands of modern plastic seats, tables, computers and other learning aids using the counterpart funds.
It would be recalled that the Benue State Government under Governor Samuel Ortom on assumption of office paid N3.8 billion as counterpart funding to match UBEC’s N3.8 billion and accessed the total of N7.6 billion for the facelift of primary schools.
The board embarked on 740 projects to give the schools a new lease of life.
