By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
About 154 children who were turned orphans by the Boko Haram Insurgency were enlisted, trained and graduated on Wednesday having passed their primary and secondary school education at a special learning centre established by the Federal Government in Maiduguri.
The pupils during their primary education also undergone various ICT-related learning .
The Learning Center which was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2019 is being managed by the Northeast Children Trust Fund, a body recently set up by the Federal Government to cater for the vulnerable children.
The Learning Center, which comprises of Nursery, Primary, and Secondary School sections currently has 525 vulnerable children who are mostly orphans from Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States of the North-East.
Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trust, Mariam Masha, said the centre has a total number of 525 children; 337 boys and 188 girls.
Mrs Masha also said the center currently has 472 pupils at the primary level and 26 at the secondary level, while 154 pupils who are advancing to secondary school took lessons in coding and programming, as well as web design and programming.
Ms Masha who commended the students for learning so fast in a short time said “the Learning Center is more than just a school.”
“The centre is a place to nurture, empower and renew our children and I believe right here before us, is a proof that the Northeast Children’s Trust can deliver on that mandate. At TLC, the teachers and caregivers serve are not just knowledge transfer instructors but are facilitators of knowledge.
“They have supported your learning and growth in very innovative ways which have unbundled the uniqueness in every one of you”, Masha said
The Vice Chairman of the centre, Professor Hauwa Biu, urged th pupils and students not to forget their lessons.
“As you resume secondary school, make sure you take care of each other. Always remember that you are part of a large family and network of people who invested in your growth and success and are always willing and ready to support you,” Hauwa Biu said
It will be recalled that Borno State Government said it has an official figure of over 54,000 children who were orphaned in the over 12 years of the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency.
Some officials of the school also said the learning facility was set up “to create an ecosystem for homeless children orphaned by the conflict in the Northeast of Nigeria that will echo the lives of a normal child growing and thriving in a family.”
Highlight of the event include demonstration of robotics, coding, and Artificial Intelligence by the pupils and students, group photographs and presentation of certificates among others.
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