The Niger government said it spent N4.3 billion on renovation of 5,065 classrooms, construction of 123 blocks of classrooms and 2,096 toilets in some selected schools in the state.

The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Education, Yahaya Garba, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Minna on Wednesday.

He said that the state government also provided furniture for the staff members in some selected schools.

He explained that the expended fund was part of the counterpart funding from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC’s) intervention programme for 2013 and 2014, which could not be accessed by the previous administration in the state.

Mr. Garba further explained that part of the fund was used in reconstructing and renovating nine schools selected across the three senatorial zones of the state.

He listed the schools and colleges renovated to include: Government Girls Modern School, Bida; Justice Idris Legbo Science College, Kutigi; Government Science College, Baro and Maryam Babangida Girls Science College, Minna.

Others were: Government Science College Izom; Government Secondary School, Tegina; Mu’azu Commercial College Kotangora; Government Girls Science School Kotangora and Government Secondary School, Rijau among others.

According to him, the state government is collaborating with Abuja-based Baze University to train teachers that handle entrepreneurship studies.

He said that entrepreneurship studies would be included in the curriculum of the nine of the schools renovated.

Mr. Garba said that the state government would invest N10 million in the training, which would begin in November.

The permanent secretary also said that the state government had disbursed N170 million to 7, 503 students studying in higher institutions of learning across the country and N55 million to 105 students studying abroad.

(NAN)