Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has warned that the country could be consumed by out-of-school children menace if concerted efforts are not made to urgently tackle it. Alausa said this informed the federal government’s decision to collaborate with state governors on ways of addressing the problem.
Already, Alausa said the ministry had already met with the state governors, 36 commissioners of education andthe Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to find lasting solutions to the menace.
“The number of out-of-school children is mind-boggling and disturbing. It is not in just one geo-political region. It is everywhere. We need to confront it, otherwise we will be consumed by it.We have to engage our governors, and have held meetings with the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) on how to address this,” he stated.
The minister also talked about the Almajiri schools built during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, expressing displeasure that these schools have been abandoned. He called for them to be revived to serve the purpose for which they were conceived and built in the first place.
Alausa noted that of the over 100 schools built during the period, only a few are operational.He, however, assured that the ministry would ensure human capital development to boost the education sector by providing relevant infrastructure needed for teaching and learning.
“Without education, we can’t survive as a society.And if you look at the human capital index, Nigeria has one of the lowest in the world,” Alausa stated.
