Oyo State government, through the state Ministry of Education Science and Technology, in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has commenced brainstorming activities for the development of an enrolment drive campaign framework to address out of school children phenomenon in the state.
The development led to a 2-day policy dialogue, which held at Kakanfo Inn, in Ibadan recently, to adopt National Enrolment campaign drive framework and also to develop special one for the state, as it would be applicable for its effectiveness.
Oyo State Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Professor Dahud Kehinde Shangodoyin, while declaring the meeting open, admitted the necessity for every education stakeholder in the state to brainstorm on the development of an effective strategies to increase enrolment into basic and secondary schools in the state, and find solution to bring all the out-of-school children back to school.
According to him, Oyo State Government under the leadership of governor Seyi Makinde is prepared to restore the education industry in the state to its past glory.
While he commended UNICEF for its timely financial aids towards education development in Oyo state, he appealed to all the religious leaders, as well as community and traditional leaders in the state to lend their support in reducing out-of-school children figure, just as he reiterated the state government’s readiness to provide an enabling environment for education sector to thrive in the state.
Speaking in the same vein, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mr Balogun declared that Sustainable Development Goals suggested that every child counts and that no child should be left out. This development he said, necessitated the meeting of the stakeholders, drawn from communities, religious centres, education sector, parastatal and educational agencies in the state on the need for concerted efforts to inaugurate an aggressive campaign for leaving no child behind and making every child counts.
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Rev David Suleiman from Pentecostal Fellowship and Asipa Baale Elewi-Odo, Chief Yekini Shittu , who spoke on behalf of other participants asserted that Out-of-School children phenomenon in the state, should not be left for government alone, rather it is a concerted effort of the entre Oyo State communities to fight the battle.
According to them, it is expected of all the religious bodies in the state to engage every child under them, on the importance of education and to even adopt some orphans among them, by placing them on scholarship
At the end of the dialogue, it was resolved that every hand in the state, including media must be on deck to address the situation.
UNICEF education specialist, Murtala Mohammed, who represented the foundation commended Oyo State Government for their readiness to combat the out-of-school children challenge in the state. He enjoined the state to expedite actions in the development and implementation of the state enrolment campaign drive framework.
According to him, the state government should invest more fund for teacher capacity building and infrastructure development of schools in the state
and then