North East Development Commission (NEDC) has said that it is addressing the challenge of out-of-school children in the North-East states through the establishment of 18 mega schools in the zone.
The Managing director of the commission, Mohammed G. Alkali, stated this in Bauchi while interacting with journalists at the end of a visit by the House of Representatives Committee on NEDC led by its chairman, Hon. Usman Zannah, as part of its oversight functions.
He said the mega schools were spread across the 18 senatorial districts in the North East and each state has three schools, adding that the region was in dire need of such schools to help increase school enrollment.
He stressed that the issue of out-of-school children had become a menace in the region and must be tackled from all angles, which was the more reason NEDC saw it necessary to intervene.
“Without school structures, you cannot fight out of school children syndrome. There must be a place to take the children to in order to keep them in school. That is what we are doing here in Bauchi and in the other states.
“The commission will do everything possible to join the six states to fight the menace and ensure that children have conducive environments for learning. The project will soon be completed and handed over to the Bauchi State government. The children are from the state, so the school belongs to the state,” he said.
Chairman of the house committee on NEDC, Hon. Usman Zannah, said the visit was to assess the progress of the projects and ensure that funds allocated to the NEDC are utilised effectively.