President Bola Tinubu directs Nigeria's Ministry of Education to address the crisis of 20 million out-of-school children, leveraging the DOTS initiative. Minister Sununu outlines plans at the NECO office groundbreaking, emphasizing education's pivotal role in social welfare and national development.
In a decisive move to address Nigeria's education crisis, President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Education to develop a comprehensive plan to return over 20 million out-of-school children to classrooms. This directive was announced by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the National Examinations Council (NECO) offices in Shabu, Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The ministry is leveraging the DOTS (Data Repository, Out-of-School Children Education, Teacher Training and Development, and Skill Development and Acquisition) initiative to achieve this ambitious goal. According to Sununu, the DOTS project will provide a data-driven approach to addressing fundamental issues related to out-of-school children, enabling the government to track statistics on school enrollment, retention, and progression from kindergarten through university.
"Out-of-school children represent a major thematic area in President Tinubu's eight-point agenda, which prioritizes social welfare, health, and education," Sununu stated. He emphasized the importance of focusing on these children, who are vulnerable to exploitation and may become tools for social unrest if left unaddressed.
President Tinubu believes that for Nigeria to develop and maintain its position in the global community, these 20 million children must receive proper education and essential skills to become self-sufficient and contribute positively to society. The minister described the out-of-school issue as a "time bomb" and stressed the urgency of returning these children to school to ensure the country's progress.
