Minister laments out-of-school children as NGO deplores banning of Adamawa girls

Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, has expressed concern that until the proper community and school relationships are activated, the menace of out-of-school children will persist in the North and other parts of the country.

Following this declaration, Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, disclosed that the Federal Government has perfected plans to increase funding of Universal Basic Education (UBE) from two per cent to three per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

Speaking at the commencement of the northern phase of the 2019 National School-Based Management Committee School Improvement Programme (SBMC-SIP), yesterday in Gombe State, Emeka, who represented Adamu, advised that besides the community and school relationship, facilities in schools should be improved and upgraded.

Admitting that all schools lacked enough teachers that have in no small means hampered the growth of education in the country, he said: “some major reasons we have continued to record cases of out-of-school children include the fact that most schools are not conducive for children.

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Manassah Jattau, described quality education as a vital tool for the growth and development of society.

In a related development, the African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development (ACLSD) has expressed concern over banning of female children from attending school in Maiha Council of Adamawa State by their parents.

Addressing journalists in Yola yesterday on the community-led Collective Action for Girl-Child Education, Senior Programme Officer, Lawal Amodu, said despite the pleadings from his organisation, parents in Maiha Council banned their female children from schools.

He said their action had become a source of concern to his organisation because the future of the affected girls was in danger and that they might be carried out before maturity age, adding, however, that the number of girls that were enrolled in schools increased from 960 to 1,221 from 2020 till date.

MEANWHILE, Director General, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Dr. Asabe Vilita Bashir, has said the centre was posied to reduce gender-based violence in the country through the empowerment of women and girls.

She said this move will position the country on the path to greatness since cultural practices tend to limit women, especially those living with different forms of disabilities.

Bashir stated this in Abuja after a five-day training on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and entrepreneurial skills for 65 women living with disabilities.

She also said NCWD remained committed to the implementation of the action plan adopted by the World Summit on Information Society, which includes access to information and knowledge, as well as capacity building for persons with disabilities.