•says lack of policy implementation bane of education
The Federal Government has disclosed that more than 2 million out-of-school children, mostly Almajiri have been enrolled in basic education and Arabic literacy programmes in the last six months.
Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman made this known on Tuesday in Abuja, at the Quarterly Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement on Nigerian Education Sector Ministerial deliverables.
He also revealed that the Federal Government has recorded breakthroughs in the ongoing probe of illegal degree mills and fake certificates flooding the country, saying from the investigation so far by the committee, there would startling revelations.
Mamman, however, lamented that lack of policy implementation remains the bane of education in Nigeria, noting that on assumption of office, he met fantastic policies and reform programmes on papers that did not translate into action for the benefit of the Nigerian child.
He said this time the ministry is “working the talk” and charged directors and heads of agencies under the ministry to ensure that policies are not just implemented but drop down to touch Nigerian children and teachers that the reforms and investment were meant to benefit.
He boasted that once his administration is done with the ongoing reforms and efforts to revitalise public schools in Nigeria, private institutions charging high fees would be put out of business or would be forced to drastically reduce fees because parents would see the quality in public institutions and would not have the need to enrol their children in schools where fees and unaffordable.
He used the occasion to reel out several achievements recorded in the last six months since the assumption of office, under the ministry’s 23 deliverables handed down by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the ministers.
According to him, the mechanism established by the Ministry for inter-governmental relations had helped in building public-private partnerships, and brought about an increment in school enrollment, transition and completion for learners especially those with disabilities.
Mamman who noted that the reduction of out-of-school children in Nigeria was one of the major focus of the current administration, assured Nigerians that before the end of the year, many more children out of school would be brought back to acquire learning and skills.
He said: “2,000,000 out-of-school children, Almajiri’s were enrolled in basic education and an Arabic literacy programme with vocational training.
“Developed the guidelines and training manuals for the implementation of inclusive basic education in Nigeria.
“These have increased access, enrollment and retention completion of both basic, secondary and tertiary school levels.”
The Minister also revealed that in the last six months, 70,674 teachers and non-teaching staff from across all levels of academic and non-academic training institutes were trained, 2,122 students were awarded Nigerian scholarship awards, 2,889 students studying abroad benefitted from bursary awards amongst other scholarships.
He further disclosed that the ministry was on the verge of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the private firm on the PPP model, to overcome the challenges of data confronting the education sector.
Speaking on the crisis of learning poverty, Mamman lamented that students were receding into illiteracy, saying one way to address the learning crisis in the country was to infuse skills and digitisation into the education system beginning from primary schools.
He said the Federal Government would ensure a review of the basic education curriculum to accommodate new teaching methods that give room for skills and digitisation.
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“We cannot go into the next century with this situation; students who cannot think, who cannot communicate amongst themselves, who cannot collaborate, who don’t have these soft skills and have problems with access to digital facilities.
“That’s why we have so many out-of-school children because first, they don’t see the value of going to school so we want to introduce skills and digitization from primary school.
“Those of us who went to school especially 60s, 70s we were beneficiaries of what was then called comprehensive Secondary School where there were the regular courses, there was a section on commerce and there was a separate section on trades,” he said.
On the high-powered inter-ministerial committee to probe certificate racketeering in Nigeria, the Minister said the committee has recorded breakthroughs and that the report would soon be made public once it is turned in.
Concerned by its latest discovery of illegal degrees from foreign universities, the Federal government had constituted an eight-man inter-ministerial committee to probe such institutions. The investigation was also to be extended to private universities in Nigeria.
While giving an update on Tuesday Mamman said: “Talking about accreditation of certificates, some two, three months ago, the issue of fake certificates flooding the country and a high-powered inter-ministerial committee was set up.
“That committee is rounding off its work. And from what I heard, we have major breakthroughs about fake certificates flooding this country.
“So as we promised earlier once we get the report, not only will it help the ministry strengthen its recognition and accreditation of certificates but those who patronize fake certificates will have themselves to blame.
“Because we are going to trace them with the help of security agencies, to their employers so they are all flushed out of the system. And in appropriate cases investigated,” he stated.
Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu said the ministry has deployed technology in education to promote learning as well as promoting skills development and acquisition at all levels.
Sununu said this would address teachers and the learning crisis at the basic education level.
“We quite believe that there is a need for a strong team approach in addressing the numerous challenges confronting our education sector,” he said.
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