FG's education programme benefits 53m learners, brings 4m back to school

The Federal Government has announced that more than 53 million learners are currently benefiting from its free and compulsory basic education programme.

The figure, according to the government, increased from 30,324,372 to 53,324,372, representing an increase of 75.9 percent.

Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, who announced this in Abuja while giving his ministerial scorecard for the last year, revealed that the data was obtained from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

Prof. Mamman disclosed that the Nigerian government has returned four million out of the 20 million out-of-school children to the classroom and announced that 3,483,721 students have benefited from direct interventions to enhance learning.

He credited the feat to the collaborative efforts of five agencies within the ministry, stressing that it has set an ambitious target to enrol three to four million out-of-school children into classrooms annually over the next three years, effectively transitioning them from the streets to schools.

“Over four million young children have been brought to basic school and Arabic literacy programmes, including 200,500 learners with disabilities, through five agencies of the Federal Ministry of Education.

“In the last two weeks, over 20,000 out-of-school children have been registered in Abuja, and a similar exercise is ongoing across the country. Those who are above school age will be taught skills so that they can continue with their lives.

“We are targeting three to four million out-of-school children to be brought back to class every year for the next three years,” he said.

Data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) revealed that Nigeria has over 20 million out-of-school children, the highest in Africa and third globally.

The minister said over 85,662 teaching and non-teaching staff at all levels in various academic and non-academic institutions have been trained in the last year, adding that more than 759,000 scholarships have been awarded to students within the same period.

“The ministry is working on the implementation of the approved welfare scheme for teachers, such as the Special Salary Scale for Teachers in Basic and Secondary Schools, Rural Posting Allowance, Science Teachers’ Allowance, and Special Teachers Pension Scheme,” he stated.

He also said over 40,000 facilities have been provided by UBEC for basic and senior secondary education.

In the tertiary education sector, the minister said over 6,500 facilities have been provided, including laboratories, faculty buildings, and auditoriums, among others.