FG: We enrolled 2m out-of-school children in 6 months

The Federal Government says no fewer than two million Almajiri children have been lifted from the street and enrolled in school, Arabic literacy programmes, to acquire basic education and vocational training.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, said this at the maiden quarterly Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement on Nigerian Education Sector Ministerial deliverables in Abuja on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.

Mamman, who noted that the reduction of out-of-school children in Nigeria was one of the major focuses of the current administration, assured that before the end of the year, many more children out of school would be brought back to acquire education and vocational training.

The minister said: “Two million out-of-school children, Almajiri, were enrolled in basic education and an Arabic literacy programme with vocational training.

“These have increased access, enrollment, and retention completion of basic, secondary, and tertiary school levels.”

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Mamman added that in the last six months, 70,674 teachers and non-teaching staff from across all levels of academic and non-academic training institutes were trained.

He disclosed that 2,122 students were awarded Nigerian scholarship awards, while 2,889 students studying abroad benefitted from bursary awards, among other scholarships.

The minister further revealed that the ministry was on the verge of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the private firm on the PPP model, to overcome the challenges of data confronting the education sector.

While lamenting that students were receding into illiteracy, Mamman said one way to address the learning crisis in the country was to infuse skills and digitisation into the education system beginning from primary schools.

He, however, said there was a need to review the curriculum to accommodate new teaching methods that give room for skills and digitisation.

Mamman, who said he discovered there were many policies covering every aspect lying fallow at the education ministry, noted that the Permanent Secretary and all directors in the ministry have been charged to ensure the policies were fully implemented.

“These policies are the mandate of Nigerians. If we are able to implement those policies, Nigeria will be a better place,” the minister added.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, said while it was critical to let citizens know about the ministry’s achievement in the programmes and projects assigned to the ministry by President Bola Tinubu, it was equally important to listen to the perception of stakeholders and get suggestions on more areas requiring urgent attention and priority focus.

The Star