Joseph Bakare
The Federal Government, worried about the number of Out-Of-School children has commenced the collation of data to determine the actual figure and possibly return them to school.
The initiative is being coordinated by the National Steering Committee on Alternate School Programme, ASP.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq in a statement by her media aide, Mrs Nneka Anibeze on Tuesday in Abuja.
She quoted the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report; noting that about 12 million children are currently out of school in the country.
“This committee will work with the statistics made available by the NBS to engage these out- of-school children. The ASP possesses the potential for every child to gain access to quality education; irrespective of social, cultural or economic standing. It will also provide a means of improving household incomes for their respective families, through the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programmes.
“It also seeks to equip children with the requisite skills and wherewithal to engage with and contribute meaningfully to the Nigerian economy,” Farouq said.
She explained that the committee had worked closely with the FG and the Ministry of Education; as well as other ministries to refine the concept of the ASP.
“In collaboration with the Ministry of Education; we have spent the last few weeks in engagement with various stakeholders, in a bid to refine and strengthen the ASP concept. The significance of each member of the Committee in providing the necessary leadership for the success of the programme cannot be overemphasised,” Farouq said.