Zulum shares N734m, books, food items to Almajiri schools

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Thursday, shared N734 million alongside books and grains to over 4,945 traditional Islamic schools, fondly called ‘Almajiri’, in the state.

Speaking at the event held at the Ramat Square in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Governor Zulum, who presented cheques to the beneficiaries, said the funds were to improve conditions of learning at benefiting Almajiri schools in the state.

Zulum explained that about 190 Islamiya and Sangaya centres, each of them with over 400 students, were allocated N300,000, 527 centres with between 201 to 400 students received N250,000 each; 2,540 centres with between 51 to 200 students received N150,000 each; while 1,649 centres with 50 students and below each received N100,000.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi, who was represented by the northeast zonal coordinator, Abdullahi S. Jarma, commended Governor Zulum for his outstanding reform of basic education in the state.

The Executive Chairman of Borno State Universal Basic Education Board (BOSUBED), Prof. Bulama Kagu, and the Chairman of Borno Sangaya and Islamiyya Board, Shiekh Arabi Abulfatahi, in their separate remarks, thanked the governor for according special attention to their establishments by approving their respective demands.

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Besides the monetary support, each of the 4,945 Sangaya schools benefited from 6,330 bags and cartons of food which comprised of over 2,000 bags of rice, 1,100 bags of maize, 850 cartons of Spaghetti, 1,600 cartons of Macaroni, 480 gallons of groundnut oil, and 300 gallons of palm oil.

Other materials distributed included 29,480 copies of the Holy Quran, 1,800 copies of Hadith, 30,068 pieces of mats, 112,892 sets of school uniforms, 41,300 mosquito nets, 8,100 pieces of slades, 424,896 pieces of exercise books, and 450 packs of pencils.

Other items were 12,300 copies of books 1, 2 and 3 (Bintu wa Dal) Kanuri language textbooks, 69,300 copies of a textbook (Mukoyi Karatu Da Rubutu), 8,100 Kanuri mathematical textbooks, (Kitwu Isawube Fuwurawabe), and another 11,000 Kanuri textbooks called Kitawu Kirabe Fuwurawabe.

The event was attended by the Secretary to Borno State Government, Usman Jidda Shuwa, commissioners, special advisers, and other top government officials.

The Star