Borno prioritises digital economy, out-of-school children, others in 2025

The Borno State Government has said that it will invest massively in digital economy to enhance opportunities for the teeming chidren and youths with the aim to reduce out-of-school children and other vices bedevilling the State.

This development was announced by Bukar Tijjani, the Secretary to the State Government during the press briefing for the approved 2025 Budget held in Maiduguri on Monday.

BusinessDay reports that a total of #615.85 billion budget was signed into law by Governor Babagana Zulum, which includes provisions for quality education, rebuilding of infrastructure, human capital development and digital economy aimed at increasing access to quality education for all.

According to him, the Government has shifted its focuses on digital economy to reduce idleness, youthful redundancy and unemployment among the teeming youths in the State.

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The Budget would also focus on investment in education, rebuilding and renovation of schools, training teachers, and providing educational materials aimed at reducing the increasing number of out-of-school children in the State.

The Government also planmed to implement several programmes aimed at encouraging children to stay in school, such as scholarships and incentives for students who excel academically.

The move is seen as a significant step towards addressing the issue of out-of-school children in Borno State, which has been exacerbated by the Boko Haram insurgency.

According to UNESCO, Borno State has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

Governor Zulum recently announced that the number of out-of-school children had decreased from 2.2 million to 700,000, representing a 70% reduction.

This achievement was announced during the inauguration of Government Secondary School Mairi in Maiduguri.