Kabiru Attahiru, the permanent secretary in the Zamfara Ministry of Education, says at least 75 secondary schools remain shut amid bandits’ threats.

Mr Attahiru disclosed this while reading a goodwill message to a two-day meeting to domesticate the National Policy on Gender in Education (NPGE). The State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in Zamfara organised the meeting in partnership with UNICEF.

Mr Attahiru noted that most of the schools are girls’ secondary schools closed since September 2021 following attacks on two girls’ schools in the state.

He said the government was working round-the-clock to reopen the schools closed since September 2021 following threats by bandits.

The permanent secretary further explained that the government directed the closure of the schools following the abduction of 75 students from Government Day Secondary School, Kaya, in the Maradun local government area of Zamfara.

Mr Attahiru emphasised the need to include field officers in national education policy formulation on gender education to attain the desired result.

In his remarks, the state’s UNICEF consultant, Ahmed Hashim, highlighted the committee’s objectives, including reviewing inputs from previous meetings on NPGE. 

(NAN)