The Rochas Care Nigeria (RCN) has concluded plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Northern NGOs to implement back-to-school programme for about five million out-of-school children from the Northern region of the country.
Hon. Salisu Sabo, the Director-General of the foundation made this known in a press statement issued in Abuja on Monday.
He said that the novel school enrolment programme, with approval and funding from the Chairman and founder, His Excellency Senator Okorocha Rochas, is set to leverage on its programme to bridge the hug education gap in the North.
According to him, the back to school programme which will flag off in March 20, 2021, at Wudi Local Government Kano, in the North-West is aimed at taking vulnerable children from their homes and streets back to the classrooms.
The DG said that, “this was against the backdrop of recent national statistics which revealed that over 14 million children from Northern origin are out of school due to financial challenges or circumstances.
“This will among other benefits, ensure that children from the Northern part of the country can compete effectively, especially in terms of of quality of education and quantity of the educated with their southern counterparts in the near future.
“Therefore, to ensure a seamless, hitch-free and inclusive process, the Rochas Care Nigeria has concluded plans to sign an MoU to collaborate with about three Northern NGOs to help ensure the credibility of the process for optimal results.
“The collaborating NGOs are Arewa Youths Consultative Council (AYCC), Community Orphans and Vulnerable Support Care (COVSC) and Space Community Development Initiative (SCDI),” he said.
He revealed that the three NGOs represent the three geopolitical zones of the North East, North West and North Central respectively, saddled with the task of overseeing and appraising the entire process right from the flag-off date.
However, Honorable Sabo maintained that the educational development and transformational programmes are in line with the noble vision of the founding fathers of Nigeria.
He said Rochas Care Nigeria is presently working comprehensively on modalities and plans for the immediate enrolment of children into school with support from Rochas Foundation which administers the Rochas Schools in Nigeria.
“It goes without saying that His Excellency, Senator Rochas had in the last two decades ago established thirteen Schools across the Nigerian Federation which it funds and operates mostly on scholarship basis and at no cost to the benefitting students.
“Hence, His Excellency is determined to arrest the ugly state of education in the country for which the North has become known as the worst hit region in Nigeria.
“His Excellency has, however, noted with concern that educational backwardness in the North has been further compounded by the twin problems of poverty and insurgency in the region,” he said.
