Out Of School Figure Reduced By 3m In 2020 – FG Says
BY TEMI OHAKWE, ABUJA – In spite of COVID-19 lockdown and closure of schools nationwide, the Federal Government on Thursday said it has reduced the figure of Out Of School children from 10.1million since May 2020 to 6,946,328million.
It also said that a total number of 3,153,672 children are now enrolled in schools majorly in Northern Nigeria.
The government further said that it recorded impressive school enrolment figures in 17states of the federation where the programme, “Better Education Service Delivery For All (BESDA), are being implemented.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who stated these in Abuja during the 2020 annual ministerial briefing, said that full implementation of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment Programme (AGILE), a programme secured under the World Bank facility of $500 million will begin in Year 2021.
Commenting on the harmonisation of school calender and the National Examinations orchestrated by the outbreak of COVID-19, the minister said that a National Committee on the harmonisation of schools and Examination calendars will be soon be constituted.
According to Adamu; “There is need for us to harmonise our schools and examination calendars, be it state, federal or private schools. This is because at the end of the academic calendar year, children in primary schools who want to proceed to our unity colleges will have to write the National Common Entrance on the same day.
Similarly, JAMB, WAEC, NECO and NABTEB will have one calendar for their examinations”.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the Buhari-led administration has focused on expansion of access to quality education and affordable healthcare.
