FG URGES STATES TO ADOPT INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICIES
By: Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
The Federal Government has called on state governments to domesticate and implement inclusive education laws and policies to reduce the number of out-of-school children across the country.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the call in Kaduna during an advocacy and stakeholders’ engagement on reforms in Almajiri, non-formal and out-of-school education.
Represented by his Special Adviser on Almajiri and Out-of-School Children, Mallam Balarebe Shehu Kakale, the minister said the Federal Government was committed to ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to quality education in a safe and dignified environment.
Alausa urged states to domesticate the National Commission on Out-of-School Children Act and other relevant national policies while developing solutions that address their specific education challenges.
He also stressed the importance of accurate data in tackling the crisis, saying the Federal Government was developing a digital education management system to track children, schools, teachers and infrastructure needs.
In Kaduna, the Reaching Out-of-School Children Project (ROOSC) has identified about 187,912 out-of-school children, down from approximately 535,000 recorded when the project began in 2023.
The Kaduna State Government said it was implementing measures to return affected children to school and integrate Almajiri education into the formal education system.
The government said the reforms would enable children in the Almajiri system to access formal education and acquire skills that would allow them to progress to higher levels of education.