Education stakeholders in Yobe State have gathered in the state capital, Damaturu, to witness a mega distribution of teaching and learning materials for primary and junior secondary schools. Both retired and serving figures in the education sector attended, as officials used the occasion to stress that education in the state remains free.
According to the authorities, schooling from the primary to the secondary level is free in the state, including the payment of national examination fees. The materials were handed over to pupils as part of a wider effort to strengthen basic education across Yobe.
Among the items distributed were advanced science kits, intended to stimulate practical, STEM-based learning from an early age. Officials said the goal was to give children hands-on exposure to science as they progress through school.
A representative speaking on behalf of the Northeast zonal director of the basic education body reiterated that the education of every Nigerian child is a right and not a privilege. The message framed the distribution as part of that entitlement rather than a favour.
Alongside the physical materials, officials said tackling the shortage of teachers was non-negotiable. They pointed to the recruitment and employment of teachers recently approved by the state governor as a central part of the effort to improve schooling.
The government also issued a warning to education secretaries not to sell the distributed materials to vendors. Officials said they did not want to see the items end up in a bookshop or anywhere else, insisting they must remain in the possession of the pupils.
In a symbolic ceremony, a revised basic education curriculum, along with textbooks, exercise books, electronic boards, chairs, tables and bags, was handed over to selected junior secondary school students in the state.