United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has commenced a move to provide temporary learning shades in Katarko area of Yobe State, northeast Nigeria.

The UN agency is making this move in response to the attack on the Katarko Primary School by insurgents.

The school, a military base, and a primary health care centre were burnt down during the attack.

Speaking to journalists after assessing the level of damage, UNICEF Education Supervisor for Yobe State, Abdullahi Bula, said, ‘It is unfortunate. The whole school, like you can see, is burnt down, except one structure and a temporary learning shade that is left standing erect.

‘The whole block of three classrooms that was renovated by UNICEF sometime back was burnt down and even some other temporary learning shades that were also constructed by Plan International, in partnership with UNICEF, were all burnt down by the insurgents’.

Bula also said, ‘Even now, UNICEF still has (the) interest to bring the school back to its feet. But the most urgent thing UNICEF can do now is the provision of temporary learning shades for the children to start their school’.

For his part, the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Musa Alabe, assured the community that the school will resume within two weeks.

He noted that the state can no longer close down schools indefinitely because of the insurgents.

‘Boko Haram cannot stop us from educating our children. We are renovating and constructing 14 temporary learning shades for the Katarko Primary School through the assistance of UNICEF’, Alabe said.

‘We are resolute, determined and defiant not to allow such attacks to demoralise us. We are hopeful in two weeks to commence classes.

‘In the past, you saw schools being closed down for like one year but now, immediately we have this kind of problem, we will put up temporary learning measures’.

Photo source: UNICEF