NewsNigerian Government Puts Number Of Out-of-school Children At 10.7 million

Nigerian Government Puts Number Of Out-of-school Children At 10.7 million

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BEVERLY HILLS, October 20, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has released a new statistics which indicates that the total number of out-of-school children in the country has spiked to 10.7 million, assuring that it would ensure that every child in Nigeria counts and is catered for in the national scheme of things.

This new figure was contained in the Nigeria Digest of Education Statistics 2014-2016, which was officially unveiled in Abuja on Friday by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah. Before now, the figures of out-of-school children bandied oscillated between 10 and 10.5 million out-of-shool children in the country.

The Federal Government said it has taken steps aimed at timely collation of statistics for effective planning and policy making in the educational sector, adding that funds have been availed the Nigeria Education Management Information System, NEMIS, in order to “meet up with the 21st century global best data reporting practices”.

The education data put Benue State as having 663,971 number of out-of-school children, even as Rivers State had 922,217 children out of school based on the number of children enrolled in public schools.

The NEMIS Deputy Director, Mr Mathews Nganjiozor, explained that the figure of out-of-school children in Rivers was high because all the children in both registered and unregistered private schools in the state were not captured.

In his remarks, Anwukah said the era where states use false data to get more money from the Federal government was over.

He lamented that want has been happening over time, was approximation and without credible data to work with, saying this lack of accurate data to aid effective planning and policy making process had been the bane of education in Nigeria.

He noted that the Federal government in collaboration with the states would strengthen data generation in schools in order to have accurate statistical data work with.

In an address of welcome, the permanent secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono, pointed out that timely, accurate, credible and reliable data is important in the society especially the education sector.

“We live in a global information society where the flow of data and information is constantly evolving. Big data and analysis is one of the growth centres of the new knowledge – driven economy,” he said.

According to him, how the nation ”gathers, strives, processes, analyses and utilises data constitutes the most significant index in determining Nigeria global standing and completeness.”

“It is not surprising that states like Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Anambra and Lagos, which have privatised and adopted a culture of planning are taking the lead in addressing such challenges as out-of-school children and the overall quality of education in their respective states,” he said.

He said lack of accurate data has impacted negatively on the nation’s planning process and the image of the country internationally.

Also speaking, the Minister of the FCT, Muhammed Bello, who was represented by Theresa Mbono, said accurate data makes service delivery in the city more efficient and properly managed.

“FCT has conducted 2015/2016 secondary school annual census so data is when proper and systematic planning are built,” he argued.

Meanwhile, the representative of International Development Partners, IDP, Olatunde Adekola, said the mission to generate adequate data demonstrated that the Nigerian government is committed to openness and accountability.

He also harped on the need for a viable database in the education sector, stating that “credible data is crucial to attaining sustainable development and Nigerians will be able to ask questions on issues arising in the education sector.

“But publications like this need collaboration across the globe which includes state and non-state actors,” Adekola added.

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