Albino foundation to partner FG on out-of-school children

THE Albino Foundation has sought  collaboration with the Federal Government in an effort to establish the accurate data of out-of-school children in the country.

This was revealed when the foundation’s executives led by its president, Jake Ekpele, paid a working visit to the permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry Education, Arc Sonny Echono, in his office in Abuja.

Ekpele said establishing the exact number of out-of-school children would help government and relevant stakeholders in designing strategies that will degrade the problem from the phenomenon it is today to manageable proportions.

Ekpele was emphatic that the foundation had the capacity to bring out the accurate data of out-of-school children in endemic states in less than three months if given the opportunity.

Responding, the permanent secretary  acknowledged the foundation’s effort in partnering with the Federal Government to win the war on out-of-school children.

The permanent secretary emphasized the importance of funding in carrying out such data collection exercises, adding, however, that the ministry is constrained by inadequate budgetary allocations to carry out a complete census of out-of-school children.

He called on the leadership of the foundation to send in the foundation’s proposal for harmonisation with that of other stakeholders who have also shown interest in the same partnership.