Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, has raised concerns over the rising figure of out-of-school children, especially in Northern Nigeria.
Sununu disclosed this at the 2023 Bauchi Education Summit held in Bauchi on Monday, themed, ‘Improving Access and Quality of Education in Bauchi State’.
While describing the situation as disheartening and unacceptable, the Minister identified the need for the collective efforts of all stakeholders in addressing the challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector.
He noted that failure in education is tantamount to the failure of the entire nation.
He pointed ou that as a matter of urgency, concerted efforts must be made to reverse the alarming trend.
“The rising figure of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria, particularly in the Northern part is not only unacceptable but disheartening, there must be concerted efforts to address and reverse the trend of this time-bomb phenomenon”
Sununu assured that the newly established National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children will enhance better collaborations and synergy in tackling issues of Out-of-School Children and grant the Tsangaya schools the necessary recognition and status they deserve.
He said the Commission aims to address and integrate Tsangaya/Madarasa schools into basic education, advocating for collaboration from Ulamas and school proprietors.
He lauded the State Governor, Bala Mohammed’s efforts in bridging the gaps in the education sector in the state, while emphasizing on initiatives such as teacher capacity building, recruitment of additional teachers, and infrastructure development.
The Minister urged listeners to leverage the opportunities provided by the state governor, calling on them to devise practical, implementable, locally accepted, and cost-effective solutions to address the prevailing educational challenges in the state.
Governor Bala Mohammed had earlier noted that part of his administration’s commitment to ensuring quality education in the state is the increase in the state budgetary allocation to education.
“I am proud to announce a progressive increase in budgetary allocation to education since the beginning of my first administration. In the fiscal year 2023, we have allocated approximately 16% of the total budget to education, a record high in recent years.
”This significant investment underscores our firm belief that a well-funded education sector is crucial for the overall development of our state”.
