2M OUT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN RE-ENROLLED IN BASIC SCHOOLS AND ARABIC LITERACY PROGRAMMES WITH VOCATIONAL TRAINING 03-04-24
By Sadiq Aminu Two million out of school children have been re-enrolled in basic schools and Arabic literacy programmes with vocational training.
The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman made this known in Abuja at the first quarterly citizens and stakeholders engagement on the Education sector.
At a ministerial retreat after the appointment of ministers, President Bola Tinubu handed over 23 deliverables to the Ministry of Education for implementation which was geared towards improving the sector.
One of the items on the deliverables was to increase school enrolment.
Also, bearing in mind the data released by UNICEF that over eighteen million children in Nigeria, do not have access to education, the Ministry swung into action through the development of the education roadmap, to address the challenge.
Professor Mamman explained that the re-enrollment was achieved through the implementation of the Ministerial deliverables.
He said introducing skills into school’s curriculum and the digitization of education from the primary level was necessary to address the learning crisis in the country.
‘’The younger ones who can still go back to school, we brush them up and they are returned to school, and the older ones who cannot go back to school, they would be given some skills and then empowered, to proceed with their lives’’.
The Minister revealed that a draft national Skills framework had been produced and the document would be ready for approval by August.
He stated that the move would lead to a total review of schools curriculum and teaching methods.
The Minister said the government was also building the capacity of teachers on digital education.
Professor Mamman told the gathering that to ensure the safety of schools, the Ministry was working with relevant agencies to tackle the menace.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu pointed out that the engagement was to brief stakeholders on the achievements of the Ministry so far, and get feedback on other areas that required attention for efficient service delivery.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs, Didi Walson-Jack called for collaboration among stakeholders to ensure full implementation of the policies for the overall good of the sector.