58,000 Displaced Persons 'Kick' Borno Students Out Of School

Students in Borno state have remained at home despite the official resumption of schools on September 22nd because of the occupation of their classroom by about 58,000 internally displaced persons.

Many Borno schools are affected, forcing the government to extend the resumption date, despite the fact that they have been closed since March 2013 when they became a target of members of the Boko Haram sect.

A number of schools were torched at the time.

The Permanent Secretary of the Borno state Ministry of Education, Mohammed Kauji, said the presence of the displaced persons in over a dozen secondary and primary schools in Maiduguri prompted the ministry to further shut down public schools.

“The displaced persons have occupied most our school buildings in the state capital.

"This is due mainly to insecurity facing us since public schools were closed on March 16, 201," he said.

Kauji said the schools will remain closed until alternative accommodation is provided for them.

“With the occupation of our schools by displaced persons for the last two or three months now, government-owned schools would remain closed pending when alternative accommodation would be provided for the IDPs taking refuge in school buildings in Maiduguri."

The commissioner however added that private school owners are free to re-open as directed by the federal Ministry Education.