Education Minister Lament Over Rising Figure of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria, says It Is Unacceptable

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, has expressed deep concern over the rising number of out-of-school children, particularly in Northern Nigeria, describing the situation as disheartening and unacceptable, emphasizing that the challenges confronting Nigeria’s education system can only be addressed by a holistic effort by all stakeholders. He also stated that failure in education equates to the failure of the entire nation.

He made these remarks while speaking at the 2023 Bauchi Education Summit held at the conference hall of the Hajj Camp in Bauchi on Monday, with the theme: “Improving Access and Quality of Education in Bauchi State.” According to him, there is an urgent need for to reverse the alarming trend of the ‘time-bomb phenomenon’.

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This is as he expressed optimism that the newly established National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children is set to commence activities and will facilitate better collaborations and synergy in addressing issues of Out-of-School Children and grant the Tsangaya schools the necessary recognition and status they deserve. He revealed that the Commission aims to address and integrate Tsangaya/Madarasa schools into basic education, urging collaboration from Ulamas and school proprietors.

He encouraged the summit participants to leverage the opportunities provided by the state governor, urging them to devise practical, implementable, locally accepted, and cost-effective solutions to address the prevailing educational challenges in the state.

The Minister, Dr. Sununu disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education has recently developed a Roadmap captioned ‘Education for Renewed Hope’, explaining that the document is in alignment with the eight Point Agenda of the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

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The minister commended Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state for showing dedication and serious commitment towards improving the standard and quality of education in the state pointed out that the importance of education to individuals, states, and the nation cannot be overemphasized.

He reiterated that education is the collective responsibility of all and its failure can well be taken as the failure of the entire country.

According to him, the Federal Ministry of Education recognizes the efforts of Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, especially on his plan to revolutionize the sector by designing an implementable Roadmap that will ensure access to quality and functional education.

The minister commended Governor Bala’s pro-activeness in bridging the gaps in the education sector in Bauchi state, adding that history has recorded that he inaugurated the Education Committee under the leadership of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Rilwan Sulaiman Adamu to address the menace of out-of-school children syndrome and poor learning.

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While stressing that the challenges in the education sector are enormous, the education minister expressed optimism that with collective efforts by all stakeholders, the challenges would be defeated.

“With collective efforts, we will defeat the Out-of-School Children syndrome; poor teacher quality, poor teaching, and learning environment; and gender inequality, among others”, he said.