To enable school children to acquire skills, the Ladi Memorial Foundation (LMF), has revealed plans to set up skills training centers in three school in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Executive Secretary of LMF, Mrs. Rosemary Ojochenemi Osikoye, while speaking at a skills acquisition sensitization program at the Nigeria-Korea Model School yesterday in Abuja, said the Nigeria law stipulates that before a child finishes Junior secondary school, the child should have functional skills; hence, the need to have a vocational training center in all schools.

Expressing their willingness to go to more schools, she said, “We are only limited by resources because you see, if you ask me, our law says that before a child finishes Junior secondary school, the child should have functional skills. Indirectly, you should produce artisans from junior secondary school level by law.”

Lamenting the high rate of out of school children in Nigeria, Osikoye said that skills training centers in schools should have been the thing keeping the children who have left school

“The data is very gory, from 10 million to 15 million out of school children and whatever it is right now, and it is very sad. A lot of children are not in school.”

She noted that over 65 million Nigerians are reported to be handicap in reading and writing, adding that the data is worrisome.

“So, let us start with the school, the cognitive skills that people would need and all of that will start from engaging these issues in school. Home Economics is a mandatory subject, it covers a lot of vocational skills area, you would find that broadly at the junior level.”

However, the ES said that the training centers will focus on sawing due to limited resources available while soliciting for financial from support of well-meaning organizations and individuals for the expansion of the school sawing clubs programme.

The Foundation also donated about 100 sowing kits to female students at Junior Secondary School pyakasa, Senior Secondary School, pyakasa and Nigeria-Korea Model school, Piwoye all in Abuja.

In celebrating the girl-child, Mrs. Rificefu Yisa, President, Home Economics Teachers Association of Nigeria (HETAN), Mrs. Lami Ayuba, President, Town Planners Association (FCT), Elizabeth Agbai, An Assistant Director with NTA amongst others graced the event.