The American University of Nigeria,Yola (AUN) has established a Global Centre for out-of-school children with a view to ensure children attain basic literacy and numeracy in Adamawa state.
President of the University, Dr. Margee Ensign said introduction of the centre marks relaunching of the institution’s feed and read school programme where out-of-school children in the host community are engaged for special formal education.
Ensign disclosed the development at a ceremony to relaunch the feed and read project held at the AUN’s North campus weekend stressing that a total of 100 children (pupils) including 50 boys and 50 girls were carefully drawn from host community and its environs.
Ensign observed that out-of-school children challenge is a global phenomenon noting that the feed and read program was floated in 2015 to address the impact of the Boko Haram insurgency which negate the education of children in the northeastern region.
“There are an estimated 2.8 million out-of-school children in the northeast region and in addition to that, 820 schools remain closed, with another 1,392 damaged and can’t be used.
“AUN has a long history working with children who are out-of-school during conflict situation. We started something called TELA (Technology Enhance Learning for All) where 22,000 refugee children were educated with radios and with computer-assisted learning. So AUN has unusual experience in this area,” Ensign said.
In her address, Principal of the AUN Schools, Mrs Nkem Uzowulu stated that the programme is targeted at reducing and eventually eradicating out-of-school children roaming the streets without any form of formal education.
“We teach them personal and environmental hygiene and hold moral classes with them on how to be better persons in society and assets to humanity.
“What I see in these children are potentials, I see the greatness that if not quickly tapped and explored will go to waste and the coming generation needs them,” Uzowulu added.
Corroborating the AUN’s Dean Postgraduate studies, Dr.Jacob Udoh Udoh said as the world grapples with People that need humanitarian help and protection in high proportion, there is need to widen access to education particularly in areas affected by environmental and human conflict.
Udoh stated that focus on the host community is very important as what affect the community affect the AUN and what affect AUN affect the community too.
“AUN is a development University, we see and know that what affect the community, affect us because we are an extension of the community.
“Today we are re-launching the feed and read initiative and this time making it even bigger and integrating it with our teaching and research through the Global centre for out-of-school children,” Udoh said.
