Benue State Government Launches Enrollment Drive to Address Out-of-School Children Crisis

The Benue State Government has initiated a Free Enrollment Drive Campaign and Sensitization Programme for the Benue North-West Senatorial District in a bid to tackle the high number of out-of-school children in the area. Organized by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), the campaign aims to encourage parents to enroll their children in Early Childhood Care Development Education Centres, Public Primary, and Junior Secondary Schools, all of which offer free education.

This initiative was sparked by alarming statistics from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), which revealed that the Benue North West Senatorial District has the highest number of out-of-school children, largely due to displacement caused by ongoing insecurity. The enrollment drive, launched in Makurdi, seeks to reverse this trend by providing educational opportunities for affected children.

SUBEB Executive Chairman, Grace Adagba, urged stakeholders to fully utilize the free universal basic education available in public schools. The event also featured Sonia Aduba, a member of the internationally recognized Presidential Debate Team, who shared her personal testimony on the transformative power of quality education.

With the successful launch of this campaign, there is renewed hope that the number of displaced, out-of-school children in the region will significantly decrease.