UNICEF commends parents in North East for interest in western education
NAN-DS-13
Commendation
Maiduguri, April 12, 2017 (NAN) The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Wednesday, commended parents in the North East, Nigeria for their sustained interest in western education in spite of Boko Haram’s violent campaigns against it.
Mr Geoffray Ijumba, the UNICEF Maiduguri Chief Field Officer, said this in Maiduguri while speaking with newsmen on the third year anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok Girls.
‘‘I want to acknowledge the resilience of the people who, even after schools were destroyed, still send their children to school.
‘‘When you go to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)’s camps you find schools within the camps.
‘‘So even the act of uprooting schools infrastructure and the act of killing teachers have not deterred people from going to school,’’ Ijumba said.
‘‘You will see girls attending schools alongside boys in camps.
‘‘There is no other testimony than this against Boko Haram,’’ Ijumba streessed.
He said that in spite of the encouraging schools enrolment, that there were still large numbers of children not attending schools in the region.
‘‘There are still many school age children not attending school.
‘‘We are doing our best to provide educational support to both children in IDPs camps and those in host communities,” he said.
Ijumba said they decided to mark the day as a reminder of the sad event of April 14.
He said that the abduction of the girls marked the beginning of the worsening of the humanitarian crisis and abuse of children rights in the North East.
‘‘What has happened is that children in the North East have suffered in the hands of the terrorists.
‘‘Thousands of homes have been uprooted, thousands of livelihood destroyed, educational facilities destroyed and many teachers killed.
‘‘Many health facilities have been destroyed, some doctors, nurses, midwives killed as well,’’ Ijumba said.
He said that the Boko Haram insurgency had also destroyed things that were providing protection for children to grow and enjoy their childhood. (NAN)
ABI/MOL/YAZ
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi/Yusuf Zango