The Minister of State for Education, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba said that it was necessary to bring every child on board the ship of education, saying it was a national priority which every stakeholder must take seriously.
The Minister who stated this in his keynote address at the National campaign on out-of- school children in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state, said, no nation could make meaningful progress with a high number of its youths as illiterates.
According to the Minister, the high number of out-of-school children is inimical to the growth and development of any nation.
Nwajiuba maintained that the Federal Ministry of education was determined to ensure that all children of school age who were out of school are returned and retained to complete their basic and secondary education and possibly transit to tertiary institutions.
The Minister called for synergy amongst stakeholders especially communities where these children exist to ensure that they were given the necessary support to achieve education, adding that this was the only way to achieve a better, reliable, developed and peaceful society.
Nwajiuba appealed to good spirited individuals and groups to take responsibility for the education of these children, especially for the orphaned who have no one to carter for their educational needs.
He also called on State governments to upscale their efforts in supporting the Federal Government in the task of educating the children, adding that education was a collective responsibility.
He said an educated populace was a critical recipe for development and peace in any society.
The Minister also expressed pain over the remaining 14 students who were abducted at the Federal Government College Birni Yauri sometime last year while calling on all hands to remain on deck for the release of the remaining children.
“My heart and soul are with all Nigerian Children who are still in captivity. I stand with the parents in the circumstance.
Government will continue to do all it can to free our children who are being held for what they know nothing about, ” the Minister reiterated.
In his address, the Kebbi State Governor, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government said, the state was fully committed to eradicating the out-of-School Children phenomenal.
He said kebbi state has approximately 900,000 out-of-school children.
“From the inception of this administration, the governor said he has committed overN15.5 billion towards the construction of 552 classroom blocks, boleholes, toilets and furniture for the course of Out-of- School Children in the state .
” Through series of interventions,the governor said kebbi state has put in place a number of strategies, including sensitisation and massive enrollment drive as well as the provision of necessary and adequate infrastructure.”
He also revealed that 42 nomadic schools have been constructed to provide access to quality education for the children of Nomards and migrant fishermen.
He added that 167 basic literacy centers have been established for the purpose of integrating Almajiris into formal educationas well as 167 basic literacy centers have been established for Adult and Non Formal education across the 21 Local governments.
In a remark, the Chairman of Kebbi State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB), Prof. Akpama Ibor said that Kebbi State was determined to bring back to school over 500,000 out- of- school children within the next two years, adding that over 9,000 facilitators were being engaged to handle the programme.
Akpama said aparthy towards western education was fast giving way in the state, saying the State was currently sponsoring a literacy by Radio programme, engaging ruler literacy facilitators,providing teaching and learning materials to non-formal learning centers as well as skills acquisition materials for ruler women.
