Ondo govt. pledges to minimise menace of out-of-school childrenMenace

AKURE (Sundiata Scholar) – Ondo State Government says it has put necessary measures in place to tackle the menace of out-of-school children in the state.

The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Laolu Akindolire, stated this while speaking with the News

Akindolire spoke on the sidelines of a two-day regional stakeholders’ meeting on children and retention, transition and completion models for South-West states in Ibadan on Wednesday.

report that the meeting, organised by UNICEF, in collaboration with Oyo State Ministry of Education, was attended by commissioners for education, religious leaders and civil society organisations from Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti and Oyo states.

Akindolire said although the percentage of out-of-school children in the state was low, he, however, said that the state would leave no stone unturned to ensure that every child’s right to education was protected.

The commissioner said that the state government had concluded plans to commence renovation of 300 secondary schools in the state.

Akindolire said that the renovation of the classrooms was part of efforts to ensure that facilities were readily available for a conducive learning environment for pupils and students in the state.

According to him, the state government had also introduced entrepreneurship and vocational department in the ministry to encourage school enrolment.

He commended UNICEF for taking the bold steps in proffering workable solutions to the menace and securing the future of Nigerian children.

“We are putting necessary measures in place to reduce the out-of-school children in the state.

“Although the percentage of out-of-school children in the state is not that much, at the same time, we can still do a lot to reduce it to the barest minimum.

“Presently, the state government has commenced comprehensive renovation of schools as a way of providing enough classrooms as well as conducive environment for students.

“Also, we are recruiting 1,000 teachers in the primary schools and also 1,000 teachers in the secondary schools to boost the number of teachers in our schools,” he said.

Akindolire also said that the ministry would work with the state house of assembly to enact a law that would minimise the number of out-of-school children in the state.

Also, the Majority Leader of the state house of assembly, Mr Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, said that combating the menace of out-of-school children in the state was important.

Ogunmolasuyi, who was in company with the House Committee Chairman on Education, Mr Kolawole Ologede, said that the stakeholders’ meeting was an eye opener to the fact that government needed to do more to tackle the menace.

“For us to be here shows that the future of our young ones is very important to us.

“It is important for everyone of us to make sure that we do the needful to reduce the number of out-of-school children.

“I know that we cannot eradicate this menace overnight but it is a gradual process, and I know that whatever we are able to put in place today will achieve a lot,” he said.

In his remarks, the Officer-in-Charge, UNICEF, Lagos Field Office, Mr Muhammad Okorie, said government and stakeholders in education sector must develop workable models to protect child’s right to quality education.

Okorie also said that the menace of out-of-school children must be tackled in Nigeria. (NAN)