The federal government Thursday said it is concerned about the high rate of out of school children in Nigeria.
The Minister of Education, Mallam Ademu Adamu, while speaking in Jalingo during the 65th National Council on Education (NCE) said eradicating out of school children phenomenon remains a tool for the achievement of education in the year 2030.
The minister who was ably represented by the Minister of State, Education, Hon Chukwuemake Nwajiuba, said the federal government would do all it can to confront the ugly phenomenon and figure out the best way of reducing the number to the barest minimum.
He stated that the importance of education in nation building cannot be over emphasised.
He noted that a man with a sound mindset would strategically attain high level of success, adding that it takes the effort of the educated citizens to provide adequate and competent manpower for the national development, create enlightened society, promote social relationships, increase domestic participation, promote the culture of productivity, improve human values and engage in constructive criticisms.
“This assembly cannot afford to fail Nigerians. Our policy ideas must address the prevailing and contemporary issues,” he said.
He added that the present administration in its determination to turn things around the education sector saw the need for strengthening the higher education system to ensure that students acquire the right skill and competence to drive diverse sectors of the economy.
On his part, the Taraba state Commissioner of Tertiary Education, Hon. Edward Gedion Baraya, commended governor Darius Ishaku, over the giant strides the state recorded in the educational sector in the state.
He stated that the governor since assumption of office six years ago prioritised education in his ‘Resque Agenda’ which has today improved the quality and standard of teaching and learning in the state.
Taraba state governor, Darius Ishaku, lamented that insecurity and displacement were factors responsible for the increasing rate of out of school children in Nigeria.
Ishaku, who was represented by his deputy, Haruna Manu, said all hands must be on deck to curtail the menace of out of school children in the nation.
He added that failure to do that would bring Nigeria to a hub of vulnerable children.