The Federal Government has announced significant progress in addressing the issue of out-of-school children in Nigeria with latest data from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC),indicating four million of the country’s 20 million out-of-school children have returned to classrooms.
This achievement was highlighted by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, during his ministerial scorecard presentation in Abuja. He attributed the success to the combined efforts of five agencies within the Federal Ministry of Education and outlined an ambitious plan to enroll three to four million out-of-school children annually over the next three years.
Prof. Mamman emphasized that 3,483,721 students have already benefited from direct interventions aimed at enhancing learning. He also noted that more than 53 million learners are currently part of the government’s free and compulsory basic education programs, marking a 75.9% increase from the previous figure of 30 million.
Additionally, the Minister revealed that over 85,662 teaching and non-teaching staff have been trained in the past year, with more than 759,000 scholarships awarded to students. The government is also implementing approved welfare schemes for teachers, including a special salary scale, rural posting allowance, and a special teachers’ pension scheme.
In terms of infrastructure, UBEC has provided over 40,000 facilities for basic and senior secondary education, while more than 6,500 facilities have been established in the tertiary education sector, including laboratories, faculty buildings, and auditoriums.
