The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, has called for collaborative effort to aggressively enrol children into basic schools as part of moves to eradicate the out-of-school children menace in Nigeria.
Sununu said Nigeria’s national target in the next two years is to reduce the number of out-of-school children, stressing that the commitment and team work of stakeholders such as federal, state, and local authorities, as well as the private sector, are critical elements needed to eradicate the phenomenon.
The minister spoke at the maiden edition of the Basic Education Summit in Nigeria on Monday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, with the theme: “improving access to quality and inclusive education for all children in Nigeria towards achieving the sustainable development goal 4.”
A statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Ben. Bem Goong, quoted the minister as stating that in spite of the significant development strides in the country’s education sector, the large number of out-of-school children remains shocking and unacceptable.
The minister said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to creative policies and ideas that will take education in the Country to enviable heights.
While noting that the challenges of the sector are not insurmountable, he said determination, good thinking, planning, creative ideas, commitment and team work will do the job.
According to the Minister, the summit is designed to address current and emerging issues in basic education, including poor enrolment, foundational learning and numeracy, security and safety of schools, funding, research, capacity building and teacher professional development among others.
Also speaking, the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, said the country must return to the good old days where the necessary facilities for teaching and learning were provided for basic schools, including accommodation on school premises for teachers for effective supervision of school activities, adding that his administration will lead by example.
Umo noted that the summit marks a significant step towards revolutionising the landscape of basic education in Nigeria to ensure that stakeholders gain comprehensive insights into the nuances that define basic education in our Nation.
The governor reaffirmed the commitment of his state to key into the policies and programmes of the Federal Government.
He noted that the success of basic education delivery hinges on the harmonisation and coordination of resources and activities in the subsector, stating that the future of the country lies in the hands of the children.
