UNICEF, on Friday, donated 400 tents and 20 school-in-a-box kits to Jigawa to facilitate the resumption of academic activities in some schools affected by floods.

The UNICEF chief of Kano field office, Rahama Rihood, handed over the items to the state Ministry of Basic Education, through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), at Nasarawa Primary School in Gwaram Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Rihood said that the gesture was to ensure that classrooms occupied by flood victims in some parts of the state were freed, in order to enable continued learning by pupils of the benefitting schools.

He also said that the items, worth about N45 million, were provided in collaboration with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). 

The school-in-a-box kits contained various teaching and learning items for basic classes.

“Today, I wish to announce additional support to the Ministry of Basic Education, Jigawa, through SEMA from UNICEF and UNHCR, in form of 400 tents and 20 school-in-a-box kits, valued at about N45 million.

“Additionally, UNICEF is partnering with Jigawa media outfits to ensure that they begin to air educational programmes immediately until December, so that children can access alternatives through radio.

“UNICEF and UNHCR hope that this support will go a long way to ensure classrooms occupied by IDPs are freed, to allow continued learning, learning will be resourceful with the use of school-in-a-box kits,” Mr Rihood said.

He further expressed the hope that families, teachers and the ministry would work together to ensure minimal disruption to the learning process in all the schools occupied by displaced persons.

Responding, the SEMA executive secretary, Dr Haruna Mairiga, commended UNICEF for its prompt response to the agency’s complaint that persons displaced by flood in some communities in the state were being camped in schools.

“We are really grateful, this is coming after we complained of IDPs occupying our classrooms and sought assistance from UNICEF and it brought it today,” Mr Mairiga said.

He assured the donors that the items would be put to judicious use to achieve the desired goals.

In a remark, Prof. Haruna Musa, the executive secretary of the State Universal Education Board, described the support as timely.

Mr Musa said that the radio programme would enable more pupils, especially those in rural communities, to benefit from learning

Also, the area education secretary, Garba Haruna, said that the gesture would facilitate the immediate return of learning among children in the affected communities.

At the event, a demonstrator guided some of the beneficiaries on how to use the tents, and also taught the pupils and teachers of Nasarawa Primary School how to use the contents of the school-in-a-box kits.

 (NAN)