Stakeholders in Borno have urged the state government to improve welfare and incentives for public school teachers to boost their morale in the ongoing revival of education after the insurgency. 

The call was part of recommendations by the stakeholders after a town hall meeting on inclusivity and accountability in the Borno public education sector in the post-insurgency recovery effort. 

The meeting was funded by the MacArthur Foundation and was organised by an NGO, Wadata Media and Advocacy Center (WAMAC).

The communique issued on Sunday by Saleh Umar of the centre also urged the government and parents to pay special attention to girl child education and people with special needs.

It stated that this could be done through scholarship and university enrolments, stressing that these would foster socioeconomic and political developments of society.

It also tasked citizens of Borno on inclusivity and accountability in education as a moral imperative towards rebuilding a more equitable and just society.

“The participants recognised efforts of the government of Borno in the development of the education sector to mitigate shortfalls of infrastructure as a result of the insurgency and advocated for a continued investment in education through training teachers,” it said.

It also called for the development of a new curriculum of education that would give access to all strata of society equitably to ensure accountability.

“The meeting advocates for the involvement of the community, Civil Society organisations and other stakeholders in monitoring and evaluation as well as oversight of educational services to ensure inclusivity and accountability.

“The town hall advocates for effective communication between the media, civil society, security agencies and traditional rulers to promote peaceful co-existence that will enhance security and intelligent sharing in the school environment through the safer schools programme.

“Participants also recognised the role of traditional institutions and religious leaders to mould the society towards reorientation and revitalisation of the family value system to address issues of corruption,” it said.

The participants in the meeting were drawn from the media, civil society organisations, people with disabilities (PWDs), traditional rulers, community-based organisations and faith-based organisations.

Others are the Borno State Universal Basic Education Board, Principals and teachers, Parent Teacher Association, police command in Borno, National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). 

(NAN)