Gombe monarch lauds BESDA for reaching 70, 000 Tsangaya children
The Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, has commended the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) for reaching thousands of out-of-school children, including Almajirai pupils in the state.
He spoke when he hosted government officials and the league of Ulamas as well as Tsangaya schools teachers during a sensitisation and advocacy programme at his palace in Gombe.
The emir underscored the importance of education in societal development, saying even before the introduction of BESDA programme in the state, he had established a foundation, through which he is sponsoring thousands of pupils.
He added that hundreds of Almajiri pupils are also benefiting from the gesture in his personal effort to reduce out- ofschool children.
Abubakar III assured that traditional institutions in the state will continue to support all efforts at improving literacy and enhancing education and called on scholars and parents to cooperate in sustaining the project.
In his remarks, the state Commissioner of Education, Dr Habu Dahiru said more than 70, 000 Tsangaya learners are currently benefitting from the BESDA intervention programme in the state.
He said the programme now has 791 learning centres with 75,491 learners, out of which 61,637 are males, while 13,854 are females.
The Commissioner solicited the support and cooperation of Islamic scholars towards the success of the programme, saying it is the right of every child to have better and quality education which is the key to socio-economic transformation of the society.
He said Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya had declared a state of emergency in the education sector and appropriated huge chunk of the 2020 budget for education development at all levels, in an effort to revamp the sector.
Programme Coordinator of BESDA, Dr Abdullahi Bappah Garkuwa, thanked Emir Abubakar III for his support to the programme and the drive by the state government to improve literacy level in the state.
He also commended community and religious leaders in the state for embracing the programme and urged them to continue in that direction.