FG seeks N45bn grant to combat problem of out-of-school-children

Opeyemi Adelere

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has said there are ongoing plans to secure a N45bn grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to strengthen the Federal Government’s fight against the menace of out-of-school children.

According to the Minister, N220bn loans had already been secured from the World Bank to address the problem under the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme in 17 states, which include the 13 beneficiary states from the Northwest and Northeast, Oyo, Ebonyi, Niger and Rivers.

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Based on the outcome of the 2018 National Personnel Audit for primary schools, the population of Nigeria’s out-of-school children was put at 10,193,918, with Kano, Akwa-Ibom, Katsina and Kaduna having the highest numbers.

Adamu said his ministry, in partnership with the states’ ministry of education, was intensifying efforts to bring into the formal education, various categories of kids that are not in school.
“As part of our commitment to transforming the education sector in Nigeria, the federal ministry of education in partnership with the states’ ministry of education is intensifying various efforts to bring into the formal education, various categories of out-of-school children that have been hitherto left out of that critical service. We believe that the future we are building would be of no significance, if we do not build the people who would occupy it.

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“The present educational programme for the Almajiris in the north is a typical case in our efforts and it is one part of that great labour to which we are unreservedly committed,” he said.
The Minister said the implementation of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), a special project for girls that are out-of-school, would also commence soon, adding that the five- year World Bank supported project is targeted at equipping out-of-school girls aged 10-20 with vocational skills.

Meanwhile, the minister, at the 2020 Commonwealth Day cerebration in Abuja on Monday, said over 200 Nigerians had benefitted from the Commonwealth scholarship scheme since inception.