Feature: Nigeria striving to reduce high number of out-of-school children
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E-mail Xinhua, September 7, 2013
Not satisfied with the current ranking that puts Nigeria atop the world in the population of out- of-school children, the government of the West African country, the most populous in the continent, is making efforts to stem the tide as quickly as possible. Or so it seems.
Accounting for 47 percent of the global out-of-school population, Nigeria, with approximately 10.5 million kids on its streets, is topping 12 other countries across the world, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In a recent report by its team on Education for All Global Monitoring Report (EAGMR), UNESCO says the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria is higher than that of Pakistan (5.1 million), Ethiopia (2.4 million), India (2.3 million), Philippines (1.5 million), Cote d'Ivoire (1.2 million), Burkina Faso (1 million), Niger (1 million), Kenya (1 million), Yemen (0.9 million), Mali (0. 8 million) and South Africa (0.7 million).
The UNESCO report indicated that one out of every five children in Nigeria does not have access to education, or stays away from the classroom. In fact, of all the aforementioned countries, Nigeria is among the four that has experienced the highest increase since 2009, followed by Pakistan, Ethiopia and India.
The Nigerian government welcomes the UNESCO report, with an aim to effect a positive change.
Ahead of the 2013 International Literacy Day marked annually on Sept. 8, Minister of Education Ruqayyatu Rufa'I, in an interview, said Nigeria would tackle the problem step by step, but first, by conducting a head count of out-of-school children next year.
According to the Nigerian official, President Goodluck Jonathan has directed the Ministry of Education to partner with states and come out with a clear and workable strategy to address the issue of out-of-school children.
Following the president's directive, work is in progress by the Ministry of Education to reduce the total number of out-of-school children, significantly between now and 2014, she said, adding Nigeria was willing to accept statistics given by global agencies as development partners.
"We will not challenge such statistics. What is most important to us is to address the main issue and that is by letting every Nigerian child to be in school. That is our target," she said, explaining the most populous country in Africa was always ready to partner with organizations to enhance data to be used for development and measurement of progress.
The northern part of Nigeria has the highest number of out-of- school children in the West African country. From northwest to northeast and central north, the out-of-school children are called "Almajiri" or "Talakawa", meaning poor children in local parlance. On a daily basis, the kids lead their low lives in a very pitiable way that can draw the last tear even from the eyes of Lucifer.
Many of them, who, are either from poor homes or belong to societies where Western education is taboo, live like street urchins; begging alms or rearing cattle for their guardians, biological parents or grandparents. Some are farmers, while others depend solely on Islamic education.
"The president recently met 9.5 million children in the streets of northern Nigeria not going to school," Minister of Information Labaran Maku said on Thursday, decrying how the kids prefer to come out to the streets to beg, rather than being in school.
"They don't go to school. They are more than triple times the population of Liberia," the minister lamented.
He, however, blamed the low literacy level and challenges of the education sector in Nigeria on wrong and lack of consistent attention by past governments, including military rulers, that held sway for decades.
"The rot has come down in our time and it is our duty to fix it. We are not going to shy away from taking our responsibilities as a government," Maku stated.
With the UNESCO account of the drop in school enrollment in Nigeria, some analysts believe that the annual International Literacy Day would only come and go in vain every other year if the present and successive governments do not enlighten the citizens, especially those who strongly believe that Western education is taboo, on the need to acquire, at least, basic education.
Isa Eyolade, an education consultant, said the government must put a stop to the culture of promising heaven on earth to enhance literacy among Nigerians.
He said poverty has posed a big threat to people who really want to acquire sound education. To address the myriad of problems militating against literacy among citizens of Nigeria, the government must start by introducing free education in all public schools across the country, he said.
"When there is free and accessible education for all, things will improve and the population of the out-of-school children will gradually deplete," he argued, noting only a few state governments in Nigeria have offered free education to citizens.
Eyolade also said education must be made compulsory in all states, irrespective of the cultural or religious beliefs of the people. "The government should always be available to sensitize the citizens, especially by telling them there's no alternative to education since we are in the computer age," he added.
Meanwhile, activities marking this year's International Literacy Day in Nigeria commenced on Friday in the southwestern state of Lagos, when the government organized book reading attended by the deputy governor, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and 4, 506 students.
For 30 minutes, the deputy governor read a book titled "Time changes yesterday", written by Nkengi Koin, to the students drawn from all local government areas of the state.
Adefulire also challenged the students to cultivate a reading culture and devote a minimum of two hours daily to reading books and educative journals.
A representative of the Guinness Book of World Records, Adetunwase Aderenle, confirmed at the event that Nigeria had set a new record by organizing book reading that has the highest number of people being read to.
"Lagos State will be entering the record books as the new owner of the largest reading audience in the world," Adenrele said, noting the state government had broken the old record of 30 minutes and 3,650 students hitherto in place.
Responding to the newly broken record, the deputy governor said Lagos State had already attained 87.8 percent literacy level.
"That is not to say that we are satisfied. We are not relaxing at all as we are committed to achieving a 100 percent literacy rate and as a key aspect of our agenda as a government. We would continue to place education of our children as a priority which will include the implementation of the Child Rights Law that emphasizes right to education of every child," she added.
In 2011, 57 million children were out of school globally, a drop of 2 million from the previous year. Endi
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