Adekanye: Senate Doesn’t Need Summit to Address Out-of-school Children Syndrome

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Country Manager, US Africa Trade Commission, Taiwo Adekanye, has said the Senate does not need to organise a national summit to address the unfortunate issue of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

Adekanye, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said a Chinese model designed to tackle the scourge had already been developed and approved by stakeholders in the education sector.

Adekanye, an author, is a member of the Panel on Content Development for Cultural and Creative Arts for Primary Schools Books 1-6. University Press Plc. Ibadan.

The Senate had last week pledged to convoke a national summit to address the issue of out-of-school children syndrome in Nigeria

The expert said: “The good news is that the solution to the menace of out-of-school-children is right under our noses.”

Adekanye explained that the “Hello Phonics” is a new model in reading developed by her to teach children and adults that cannot read and write, to be able to do so, within a short period.

She said: “Hello Phonics – A New Model in Reading – is the panacea to the menace of out-of-school children in Nigeria within a short period of time with guaranteed results.

“Hello Phonics model has been tested and tried and recommended for use in primary schools by the Nigerian Educational Research Development Council (NERDC).

“The use of Hello Phonics Model was first written as a proposal during the inauguration of a Presidential Steering Committee on Alternative School Programme on the 26 January, 2021.

“The committee was set up to map out strategies and an action plan to address the challenges of the out-of-school children in Nigeria.

“It was also meant to rapidly reduce their number by providing them with basic education and skills in special settings not addressed in a conventional school system.

“The then chairperson of the committee, a former Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Sadia Umar Farouq then, said Nigeria topped the list of out-of-school children in the world.

“According to UNICEF, it is estimated that approximately 10.5 million children aged 5 to 14 are not in school.

“The Alternative School Programme was designed to improve access to education for all Nigerian children in line with the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Qualitative and Inclusive Education for all.

“It was aimed at significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children through the integration of formal and informal educational systems; but was it a Disaster Management crisis or an Educational crisis?

“The 18-member committee was co-chaired by the former Honorable Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu then.

“It behoves the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education to invite the solution provider to make a presentation of the Hello Phonics Model and how it works so that Nigeria can be finally delisted from the list of countries with high rate of out-of-school children.

“It is however sad to say that the committee did not achieve anything all through the second term of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) also reviewed and assessed the Hello Phonics book before recommending it to the Nigerian Educational Research Development Council where it finally got its approval and recommendation for use as a textbook.”

The President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Dr Sally Bolujoko, had in 2021, suggested the adoption of the Chinese teaching model in Nigerian schools in order to bring out the best in pupils.

She stated this while speaking at the unveiling of the book titled, ‘Hello Phonics — A New Model in Reading’ written by Taiwo Adekanye, in Abuja.

Bolujoko, who was the special guest at the book presentation, noted that the developed world, including Britain whose model is being used in Nigeria, has since embraced the Chinese teaching model and techniques.