By Danzumi Ishaku
The Taraba state Ministry of Education has attributed increasing number of out of school children to crisis in the state.
Mr Samson Ada, Permanent Secretary in the ministry made the disclosure on friday at the three-day Workshop for Heads of Social Mobilisation, Coordinators of Nomadic Education and Same Area Suppervisors in Jalingo.
Our correspondent reports that they were drown from 16 Local government areas on Better Education Service Delivery (BESDA) Grassroots Implementers on Out of School Children in the state.
The permanent secretary, who was represented by Alhaji Iliyasu Kirim, Director of Primary and Secondary Education in the ministry appealed to all the waring factions to embrace peace.
According to him, children could aquire education only in a peaceful environment
Ada said that the trend where children were roaming the streets without education became worrisome to the present administration in the state.
He announced that the state was among the first 17 states that would benefit from the programme in Nigeria.
He said that Gov. Darius Ishaku has accorded priority to ensure by construction, rehabilitation and renovation of both primary and secondary schools in the state.
He also said that the administration has procured and distributed instructional materials, furniture, set of computers and drilling of boreholes in schools in the state.
The permanent secretary also said secondary that the administration has employed 3,000 teachers to boost manpower for primary and secondary schools in the state.
He expressed the determination of the ministry to support the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), ensuring that BESDA was a success in the state.
He also commended the World Bank for their role in ensuring that basic education was accessible to all Nigerian children.
Earlier, Dr Yakubu Agbaizo, Executive Chairman of the SUBEB in the state said that basic education objective has suffered from low and inequitable access.
Agbaizo said that the primary school age population that was out of school in Nigeria was very alarming.
He noted that the trend would continue if aggressive measures were not taken to stem the tide.
He also said that the Northern Nigeria had the overwhelming majority of the out of school children.
He urged participants at the workshop to work hard to ensure mobilisation of out of school children within their domains.
“The fact that Nigerian primary age out of school population is so large reinforces the urgency of addressing the problem.
“As otherwise, the ranks of the lower secondary out of school population will swell a few years down the line.
“It is also another comman fact that overwhelming majority of the out of school children are in the Northern Nigeria.
“And the rates are higher among girls in rural areas and among the poorest in the society.
“I therefore, urge all of you to work hard to ensure mobilisation of out of school children within your areas of operations.
The executive chairman commended the state government for it priority on basic education.
He gave assurance that the board would not deviate from the vision and mission for providing basic education to children in the state, He said.
Our correspondent reports that, BESDA is a World Bank funded programme with the objective of providing inequitable access to out of school children and improving litteracy to focus states.
