By Taiwo Adeyemi
Kwara State has reiterated its commitment to end out-of-school children menace and ensures students retainership in school.
According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS analysed by TheCable stated that 200,000 children are out of school in the state.
Hajia Sa’adatu Moddibo-Kawu, Commissioner for Education in Kwara State while featuring as a guest on Diamond 88.7FM, Ilorin, Kwara State popular Yoruba Language News and Current Affairs programme “E Bawa Dasi” on Tuesday, 26th November, 2024 emphasized that the administration of Governor Abudulraman Abdulrasaq is committed to ensure that all children enjoy quality education and improve students retainership in school.
She said Governor Abdulrasaq in his efforts to ensure that students are staying in school, flagged off the distribution of educational materials on May, 29th 2024.
“This administration is not only committed to finding a lasting solution to the crisis of out-of-school children but we are also ensuring that those children are staying in school”.
“We have anti-loitering unit in the ministry of education in the state that have arrested some students that were loitering around during the school hours, some students have been arrested and we invited their parents to the ministry to tell them importance of education, this administration is committed to ensure good future for our children”.
“Also, officials of the ministry, agency for mass education including myself visited some locations in the state like Zongo, Koro Afoju and some areas where we know that those children are staying. We explained to their parents the importance of education, we were welcome with open hands in those communities”.
“Our plan is to establish literacy centers very close to those communities before we enroll them in formal schools”.
“This administration paid half of BECE examination fees for each student in the State and provided free common entrance fees for all primary school leaving pupils to assist parents”.
Moddibo-Kawu added that the huge funds investment injected to the educational sector by the administration of Governor Abdulrasaq has been yielding positive results.
“The state is using a universal curriculum across the state irrespective of the location of the school, our teachers are using tablets which has made it easy for us to control absenteeism, many parents have been withdrawing their children from private schools to public schools, this has increased enrollment in the state”.
“The challenges of the past in the sector in the state have been addressed by the Governor, Kwara State was removed from the UBEC list, the debt of N450 million was settled, and we have accessed our counterpart funding remaining for the year 2024”.
She maintained that the State Government has rehabilitated some schools in the state and provide basic amenities for the schools which has increased student enrollment.
She emphasized that the government is not ready to change the rule of engagement for the teachers in the states that are seeking for transfer.
“Their appointment letters stated that they are to stay in a particular local government for five years which they agreed but some of them are now seeking for transfer when it was not up to five years, this will cause shortage of teachers in those schools in the rural areas”.
“I have instructed our officials in the local governments not to approve any transfer for any teacher without having replacement irrespective of who the affected teacher is, we are looking at rural allowance to encourage those teachers teaching in the rural areas”.
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