By Femi Ogunshola
The House of Representatives says it will ensure that 14 million out-of-school Nigerian children are back to schools through an intervention framework.
Rep. Almustapha Aliyu, the Chairman, House Committee on Alternative Education, said this in Abuja on Sunday.
He said out-of-school children would be trained with relevant skills to become productive, adding that it was targeted at addressing public education by tackling poverty and value gaps.
He said this would be in partnership with relevant government agencies, adding that the intervention was aimed at improving access to education for all Nigerian children.
This, according to him, is in line with the aspirations of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs-4) on qualitative and inclusive education for all.
According to him, the project is tagged ‘Nigeria Mass Reduction of Out-of-School children and Youth Project’ (NiMPROP), and it is proposed to last for a period of four years.
He said it would significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children through non-formal accelerated education system and other alternative schooling programmes.
“The government agencies that the committee is working with include the National Commission for Almajiri and out-of-school Children, the National Commission for Mass Literacy.
Others include Adult and Non-Formal Education and the National Commision for Nomadic Education.
He said the house would also ensure that 16.5 million Nigerians were lifted out of poverty, which would ensure the return of out-of-school children to schools.
Aliyu said the committee had several engagements with the relevant agencies in the past week with favourable responses.
He said the necessary machinery had been put in place for the actualisation of the intervention as the house reconvened from its annual recess on Sept 26.
He said part of the initiatives was to ensure the significant reduction of poverty in the six geopolitical zones of the country. (NAN)
