Out of school children: Minister calls for aggressive enrollment drive

Minister of State for Education in Nigeria, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, has called on stakeholders at the federal, state, local authorities, and the private sector to collaborate efforts towards immediate, aggressive and intensive enrollment drive as part of efforts towards the eradication of the out of school children phenomenal in Nigeria.

Dr. sununu said the National target is to reduce out of school children’s numbers by at least a quota in the next two years.

According to Dr. Sununu, commitment and team work by stakeholders are critical elements needed to eradicate the phenomenal.

The Minister spoke on Monday during the opening ceremony of the maiden edition of the Basic Education Summit in Nigeria in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.

Hon. Sununu noted that despite the significant development strides in the Country’s education sector, the large number of out of school children remains shocking and unacceptable, calling on all hands to stay on deck “in our national resolve to confront the ugly phenomenon.”

The Minister reaffirmed that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to creative policies and ideas that will take education in the Country to enviable heights.

He described the theme of the Summit; ‘Improving access to quality and inclusive education for all children in Nigeria towards achieving the sustainable development goal’ as apt and timely.

The Minister noted that the challenges of the sector are not insurmountable, adding that 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 enrollment, foundational learning and numeracy, security and safety of schools, funding, research, capacity building and teacher professional development among others.

In his keynote address to the summit, the executive Governor of Akwa ibom state, His Excellency, 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.

Governor Umo noted that the summit marks a significant step towards revolutionizing the landscape of basic education in Nigeria, “to ensure that stakeholders gain comprehensive insights into the nuances that define basic education in our nation.”

Governor Umo reaffirmed the commitment of states to key into the policies and programmes of the Federal government, adding that “the success of our endeavors hinges on the harmonization and coordination of resources and activities in the subsector,” reiterating that the future of the country “lies in the hands of our children.”

The week-long summit will end on Friday.