The Federal Ministry of Education has successfully enrolled over four million out-of-school children within the past year. This milestone was announced by the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, during a media briefing titled ‘Transformative Journey’ to commemorate his one-year anniversary in office.
Professor Mamman revealed that the large-scale reintegration of out-of-school children was made possible through several key strategies implemented by the ministry. Central to these efforts was the DOTS Policy, which stands for Data Repository, Out-of-school education, Teacher training and development, Skills acquisition, and development programs.
“Over four million (4,028,000) young children have been brought back to basic schools and Arabic literacy programs, including 200,500 learners with disabilities,” Professor Mamman said.
He credited the success to the combined efforts of five agencies under the Federal Ministry of Education. The ministry’s goal is to continue this positive trend by bringing 3 to 4 million out-of-school children back into the education system each year for the next three years.
In addition to addressing the issue of out-of-school children, the ministry has also made strides in increasing overall school enrolment. Professor Mamman reported that enrolment figures have surged from 30 million to 55 million in the past year.
This increase reflects a broader effort to enhance educational access and quality across Nigeria.
“To ensure a conducive learning environment, more than 85,662 teaching and non-teaching staff have been trained. Additionally, over 40,000 new facilities have been provided by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for both basic and senior secondary education,” he said.
Professor Mamman Also highlighted the provision of over 6,500 facilities, including laboratories and faculty buildings, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). Moreover, the government has awarded over 759,000 scholarships in the past year to help alleviate the financial burden on students and their families.
Under the student loan scheme, known as NELFUND, the ministry has disbursed 3 billion naira to support students’ education. “These scholarships and loans have greatly reduced the financial strain on students and their parents,” Professor Mamman noted.
Professor Mamman also emphasised the introduction of technical education from primary school levels through tertiary institutions. “From September/October this year, schools will start teaching skills from primary levels so that students are better prepared for the labor market upon graduation,” he said. This shift is intended to address the skills gap and improve employment prospects for Nigerian youth.
“The establishment of a rapid response team and the installation of security measures like CCTV cameras are crucial steps in safeguarding our students,” Professor Mamman added.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Yusuf, praised the ongoing programs for improving educational access and welfare. He commended the staff of the ministry for their dedication and hard work, which has been instrumental in achieving these results.
“The programs being implemented are designed to improve educational access and support the welfare of students,” Dr. Yusuf said. “The dedication of the staff has been crucial in making these accomplishments possible.”
