We’ll Enroll 11,000 FCT Almajiri Children In School September -Minister
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman has said plans were underway to enroll 11,000 Almajiri children in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja in basic education facilities at the next academic calendar in September.
Mamman announced the development on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 in Abuja.
He said the move would further pull many children off the street back to the school, thus reducing the number of out-of-school children in the country.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that Nigeria has 18.3 million out- of- school children.
The minister averred that the steady move to pull children off the street was a key part of the education sector roadmap of the government, adding that President Bola Tinubu had directed the Ministry to ensure a significant drop in the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
“We have developed the guidelines and training manuals for the implementation of inclusive basic education in Nigeria. These have increased access, enrolment and retention completion of both basic, secondary and tertiary school levels”, he said.
Mamman further disclosed that 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, while 2,889 students studying abroad benefitted from bursary awards among other scholarships.
He said the mechanism established by the ministry for inter-governmental relations had helped in building public private partnerships, and brought about an increment in school enrolment, transition and completion for learners, especially those with disabilities.
