By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Executive Chairman of Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Dr. Grace Adagba, has sued for strong collaboration with the Muslim Community in the state to promote the enrollment of children particularly girls in Basic Schools.

She also urged partnership in the area of infrastructural development in Nomadic Schools across the State.

Dr. Adagba made the call when she visited the Chief Imam of Benue State, Sheik Suleiman Habib, at the Central Mosque in Wadata, Makurdi.

The Information Officer of Benue SUBEB, Emmanuella Akese in a statement explained that the engagement was part of SUBEB’s broader campaign to reduce the number of Out-Of-School Children in the State.

Addressing the Muslim faithful, Dr. Adagba expressed concern over the high number of Out-Of-School Children in Muslim communities in the State, noting that basic education was a collective responsibility.

She appealed to religious and traditional leaders to support the campaign to have children in school by sensitizing their communities on the value of education.

The SUBEB Chairman commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for his continued support for the basic education sector, noting that “basic education has received the highest budgetary allocation under his administration. And the Governor’s interventions have led to significant achievements, including the construction of modern storey-building classrooms, replacement of chalkboards with whiteboards, revival of sports and craft activities, and prompt payment of teachers’ salaries to boost staff morale among others.”

She also disclosed that the Board used to manage 31 Nomadic Schools across the State, of the number 23 were currently functional, while 8 were affected by crisis during the past administration. She called on stakeholders to partner with the Board to rebuild the affected schools.

Dr. Adagba further disclosed plans to launch the “Catch-Them-Young” Campaign, targeting Community-based sensitization to boost school enrollment.

On teacher recruitment, Dr. Adagba assured Applicants that “the process remains transparent and fair,” emphasizing that no applicant who had undergone biometric capture will be left out in the issuance of employment letters.

In his remarks, the Chief Imam of Benue State commended Dr. Adagba for initiating the visit and described it as the first of its kind. He lauded the Governor Alia-led administration for its visible transformation in basic education, stating that  Dr. Adagba as SUBEB Chairman “is a round peg in a round hole.”

He also acknowledged SUBEB’s efforts in upgrading the Arabic School in Wadata and appealed for the domestication of Almajiri schools in Benue, as done in other States. The Imam pledged the commitment of the Muslim Elders Council to support SUBEB’s mass enrollment drive.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the School-Based Management Committee, SBMC, of Arabic Primary School, Alhaji Danladi Umaru who expressed gratitude to SUBEB for selecting the school for upgrade assured the Executive Chairman of the community’s support for education programmes and encouraged her to remain focused despite distractions.