The government of Borno State has said it will engage students as spies to monitor the quantity and quality of food being served to children in schools across the state.
According to The Nation, Governor Kashim Shettima disclosed this at the inauguration of a Special Committee to take charge of feeding across 78 secondary schools in the state after uncharitable reports of diversion of food resulting to poor feeding in the schools.
According to the governor, some unsuspecting students will be engaged as spies who will be sending him messages via telephone and social media platforms to give hint on the quality of meals being served at dining halls.
"Apart from approving funds, I will also help you to do your job. Do not feel that I am being suspicious. As you all know, I do visit schools but this time around, I will give some students (you will never know) my phone numbers to communicate directly with me to give me regular updates on the quality of meals they are being served henceforth.
"You as committee members should address the principals and call them to order. I will urge you to directly procure the foodstuff and give it to the principals of our respective boarding secondary schools. And it is within your mandate to hire and pay the salaries of cooks where there are shortages of kitchen personnel.
" I want all of you to work hard and identify some sacrificial lambs. I want you to deal with two or three principals who shortchange pupils in their feeding. As I have always said, education is very important to the development of any society and we owe an obligation to humanity, to posterity to fix public schools in Borno. With the way we are building schools, some people would feel we are crazy because they forget that Boko Haram has taken our education backward and created thousands of school aged out of school children.
"We are buying lands, we are buying premises and building schools on them and we will make these schools function effectively," the Governor said.
The new committee is chaired by the Commissioner for Education, Musa Inuwa Kubo who is a highly experienced school administrator with representatives of the Parents Teachers Association, the Nigeria Union of Teachers and other stakeholders.
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