Senate Plans National Summit to Tackle Nation’s Out-of-School Children Syndrome

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate, yesterday, passed a resolution to organise a national summit to address the menace of out-of-school children in the country.
The upper chamber of the National Assembly took the decision after considering a report of its committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) on the  need to tackle the challenges of out-of-school children in the country, presented by its chairman, Usman Adamu.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the decision after a majority of the senators supported it through voice votes during the plenary.
He said the summit would involve the presidency, senators, governors, local government chairmen, councillors and civil society organisations.
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, said, “I feel compelled to comment on this report because the issue is very important.
“It is a serious problem that, if we leave it unattended, it is a kind of time bomb, and once it explodes, it will consume us, particularly the Northern part of this country.
“Because the number of children roaming our streets without going to school needs our attention, it is a serious problem.
“It is a problem that the solution is beyond the federal government alone or any tier of government. It should have an all-inclusive attention. Local, state, and federal governments, traditional and religious leaders, and even parents all have a role to play.
“I feel happy that the committee concluded by saying addressing out-of-school children in Nigeria demands concerted efforts across all: National, state, local governments, parents, traditional rulers, development partners and so on.
“Since the federal government can’t do it alone, state governments can’t. So, everybody has to come together; we all must come together.”
Immediate past Senate President, Ahmad  Lawan, urged the upper chamber to compel the ministry of National Planning to come up with reliable data.
Lawan advised the Senate to organise a national educational council meeting to address challenges of the nation’s education system.
Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) lamented the ineffectiveness of the government to promote western education.
Senator Solomon Adeola said successive governments had done several programmes to improve the nation’s education system but blamed state governments for not complementing the efforts.
After the debate, the Senate President put the suggestion to hold a national summit on the menace of out-of-school to vote and the majority of the senators supported it.
Akpabio subsequently approved it and commended his colleagues for the extensive debate.
The Senate President expressed the hope hopes that the summit would successfully address challenges facing the nation’s educational system.
Adamu, representing Kaduna Central, said the report was sequel to a resolution of the Senate on 20, March with a view to finding a lasting solution to the increasing rate of out-of-school children.
He said members of his committee had interaction with ministers of education on 18 July over the issue.