At the inauguration of the National Campaign on Out-of-School Children 2024 for four geopolitical zones in Nigeria which held on Wednesday in Yola, the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, said that the Federal Government has redoubled efforts to ensure out-of-school children are returned and retained in school.
Represented by the Deputy Director of Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, the minister said a significant number of children in the country were still deprived of their fundamental rights to education.
“The socio-cultural and economic issues complicated by the world-ravaging COVID-19 pandemic have escalated the number of children who are out of school”.
“The road map for the Nigerian education sector for Renewed Hope 2023–2027 has also observed that the country still has the highest rate of out-of-school children.”
“This is why the Federal Government has been working tirelessly to create an environment where every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully to society.”
The minister enjoined stakeholders, philanthropists, and individuals to work together and ensure disadvantaged children were given support and sponsored in various vocations to achieve a reliable and safe society.
He reiterated that the Ministry would identify such children, ensure their enrollment in formal and non-formal learning centers close to their homes, and provide school materials for continued learning.
“Out-of-school children are a case that is becoming globally alarming in Nigeria, especially in the northern part of the country”, he said while also stating that basic education in the state was free and compulsory, adding that the law on education in the state would be fully implemented and defaulters would be prosecuted.