The Ministry of Education has set forth a comprehensive plan to bring back Nigeria’s 20 million out-of-school children, with a steadfast commitment to achieving this mission within the next four years.
Monday saw Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, articulating this during the 2024 budget defense session before the joint committee of the National Assembly on Education in Abuja.
Pointing to a pressing dilemma, he stressed the existence of millions of out-of-school children in Nigeria, characterizing it as a pivotal problem for the nation.
‘At the tertiary level, we need graduates who have skills and competence to be able to contribute to national development.’
‘We need graduates who can be employed by willing employers, right now, we have complaints about the quality of the products from our universities and polytechnics.’
‘Basically the policy trust of the government and this ministry is on these major areas. There are about 20 million out-of-school children or even more in Nigeria.’
‘We are working on it to ensure that as many as possible of these children, for those of them that can come back to school, are given the opportunity to come back,’ he said.
Mamman added, ‘For those who cannot, we want to ensure they are empowered through short-term skills training that will give them the opportunity to connect with society to have a meaningful likelihood.’
The minister underscored the ministry’s commitment to fostering practical skills among students by revealing ongoing collaborations with stakeholders to review Nigeria’s school curriculum.
Urging a paradigm shift in education, he called on universities to integrate skills training and entrepreneurship into their curricula, with a focus on generating graduates who are self-reliant.
Mamman highlighted that the ministry’s 2024 budget allocation stands at N101.45 billion, with N5.88 billion earmarked for personnel costs, N1.08 billion for overhead costs, and a substantial N94.48 billion designated for capital expenditures.
Rep. Aliyu Mustapha, heading the House Committee on Alternative Education, conveyed the House’s unease regarding the increasing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
‘I am happy that the minister has highlighted out-of-school children, youth, and adult literacy in the ministry’s programme and vocational training that has taken centre stage.’
‘In 2024, we have seen that you are still limited by funding, the National Assembly is doing its best to see that those allocations are raised,’ he said.