FG moves to return 500,000 out-of-school children to school

The National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC) has announced plans to return more than 500,000 out-of-school children in the country to the classroom.

To this end, the Commission has commenced a two-day training programme for enumerators on automated data collection tools, aimed at tackling the challenges of out-of-school children.

Speaking at the training in Abuja on Tuesday, the Acting Executive Secretary of NMEC, Dr. John Onimisi, explained that the exercise is designed to return over 500,000 learners during the first phase of the programme.

NMEC previously revealed that Nigeria had over 30 million non-literate adults as of 2021.

Dr. Onimisi further noted that the enumerators are tasked with capturing data on youths aged 15 and above who dropped out of school or never had the opportunity to continue their education.

He also emphasized that the programme focuses not only on literacy but also on vocational training.

“Our target is to ensure that these learners are enrolled into non-formal learning centres and are able to complete the programme successfully. Some may also transition to vocational programmes after completion,” he said.

Dr. Onimisi added that the initiative would cover all 774 local government areas in the federation, noting that 376 enumerators from the 36 states and the FCT have been on-boarded, while 250 facilitators will drive the exercise in Abuja.

He said monitoring would be done in real-time through a dashboard linked to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), to ensure proper tracking and follow-up of learners.

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“This is the first time since the 2010 National Literacy Survey that NMEC will be conducting such a large-scale data exercise. The delay has largely been due to funding constraints,” he noted.

The Acting Executive Secretary disclosed that the programme would run in phases, with the first literacy cycle lasting between six to nine months, depending on contact hours.

He commended the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for supporting the intervention, stressing that it marks the government’s renewed commitment to addressing the country’s literacy gaps.

Also speaking, the Director of Programmes at NMEC, Mr. Samuel Aziba, said the training would enable enumerators to use digital devices for data collection.

Aziba added that pilot testing of the programme would begin in four locations within the FCT before a nationwide rollout.