The House Committee on Alternative Education has stated that it is actively building a framework aimed at quickly reintegrating nearly 14 million out-of-school Nigerian children back into the education system.
The committee also stated that it is working hard to raise 16.5 million Nigerians out of poverty, which will result in the return of out-of-school children to schools.
According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data, the Northeast ranks first in the poverty index, with 71.86 percent of its inhabitants living in poverty, followed by the Northwest with 64.84 percent and the North Central with 42.70 percent. South East (42.44%); South South (21.28%); and South West (12.12%).
However, the chairman of the committee, Hon. Almustapha Ibrahim Aliyu (APC, Sokoto), stated in a statement that the House committee’s intervention will target poverty alleviation in the following ways: Northeast: 4 million people; North West: 3.4 million; North Central: 2.5 million; South East: 3 million; South South: 2.1 million; and South West: 1.6 million.
According to him, the framework would also instruct out-of-school youngsters in important skills so that they can become useful members of society.
He stated that the Green Chamber’s action aims to address public education through addressing poverty and value gaps.
He stated that the intervention, in collaboration with appropriate government agencies, intends to improve access to school for all Nigerian children, in keeping with the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs-4) on qualitative and inclusive education for all.
The project, dubbed ‘Nigeria Mass Reduction of Out-of-School Children and Youth Project’ (NiMPROP), will last four years, according to him.
“Through a non-formal accelerated education system and other alternative schooling programs, it would significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children,” he stated.
The National Commission for Almajiri and out-of-school children, the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, and the National Commission for Nomadic Education are among the government entities.
He stated that the committee had multiple meetings with the relevant agencies in the last week and received positive reactions from them.
He stated that the required machinery has been put in place for the intervention’s implementation as the House prepares to return from its annual recess on Tuesday, September 26.