Borno to reopen secondary schools for the first time in 2 years

The Borno state government says it would re-open public secondary schools in the state for first time since they were closed two years ago, due to Boko Haram insurgency.

Inuwa Kubo, state’s commissioner for education, said internally displayed persons occupying the schools had been relocated to allow for resumption of academic activities.

Kubo said the school will resume next week, after repairs had been carried out on all the structures in the schools to provide atmosphere, conducive for teaching and learning.

“I wish to announce that on September 26, all public schools are going to be re-opened,” Kubo said.

“I want to state that government has repaired all the structures damaged by the IDPs in the schools, to ensure comfort for the returning students.”

“Parents and guardians should please make sure that they send their children back to school.”

Kubo, however, decried the prolong closure of the schools and the fact that proprietors of private schools took undue advantage of the development to charge arbitrary fees.

“We understand that some of them have taken undue advantage of the closure to hike school fees; we will not allow the situation to continue,” he said.

“We are going to visit the schools to find out how much they are charging and how much they are paying their teachers.”

Schools were shut in March, 2014, after suspected terrorists attacked a school in neighbouring Yobe.

The government reopened the primary schools in 2015 but could not do so with the secondary schools because they had been taken over by IDPs.