Bayelsa out-of-school kids hit 250k – Gov. Diri 

Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

Despite several billions of Naira spent to raise the standard of education in Bayelsa State, Governor Douye Diri has lamented the high rate of out -of -school children in the state.

Minister of State for Education, Mr. Goodluck Nanah-Opiah, has also called on all stakeholders to join forces to eradicate the menace of out-of-school children in the interest of the country.

Governor Diri spoke during the launch of a national campaign on out-of-school children organised by the Federal Ministry of Education, on Tuesday, in Yenagoa, the state capital.

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The governor lamented that an estimated 250,000 children are out of school in the state and described the figure as ‘alarming’ despite the billions of Naira spent to encourage and mobilise parents to take their children and wards to school.

The governor who blamed the various stakeholders in the state for the unfortunate   development despite the huge amount of monies spent annually on education in the state, disclosed that the state government had continued to support free primary and secondary education in the state with the purchase of uniforms and other instructional materials.

Governor Diri also expressed dismay that the high number of out-of-school children in the state in place despite  an existing law to check the menace.

He called not only on the relevant ministries to ensure that the law was publicised and implemented to the letter and also the state’s House of Assembly to oversight its laws to ensure they were implemented.

He also charged parents, traditional rulers and community leaders to join hands with government to ensure a reversal of the situation and assured that his administration would do its part to ensure that education was accessible to every child of school age in  the state and urged parents and community leaders to encourage their wards to enroll in schools.

Govenor Diri also commended the Federal Ministry of Education for bringing the campaign to Bayelsa, saying the people of the state and the Niger Delta region will benefit from the initiative.

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His words, “A law was passed by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly on this matter in 2018. So, Mr. Minister, Bayelsa State had started addressing the issues long before now. But your coming is key as it has opened our eyes to the level of out-of-school children in our state.

“The issue is mostly about implementation. We have the laws to ensure that our children are educated. This law has to be implemented across all our communities. “The Ministries of Information and Education must do all within their powers to ensure that the public is aware of this law and it is implemented.

“It is unbelievable that a law like this was enacted and assented to by a sitting Governor. Yet we have out-of-school children.

“Let me use this opportunity to call on parents to ensure that they take advantage of the provisions of government. There is free primary education. Uniforms and other instructional materials are being provided by government. So, why won’t parents send their children to school?

“As a state, we will continue to prioritize education and have a paradigm shift that will be beyond certificates. We have introduced technical education and by our third anniversary we will commission some of the schools.”

In a similar development,

Governor Diri has also called on the Federal Government to establish more tertiary institutions in the state to enhance and expand the frontiers of education.

In a press statement by  Daniel Alabrah when the minister visited Governor Diri in Government  House before the flag off of the programme, also urged the Federal Government to release its share of educational counterpart funds to the state.

“As we speak, Bayelsa has done its counterpart funding up till 2022 and now we are eagerly awaiting the federal government counterpart funding for 2022. Help us prevail on the Universal Basic Education Commission to fast-track its contribution to the fund to ensure that our educational requirements are met. As we speak now, we are even prepared for our counterpart funding for 2023.”

The Minister described the development of education as  a ‘collective responsibility’, also called on all stakeholders to join forces to eradicate the menace of out-of-school children in the interest of Nigeria.

Nanah-Opiah informed that the Federal Ministry of Education has put in place mechanisms to ensure that education was accessible to children of school age and appealed to the state government to continue to prioritise education.

The Minister, however, praised  the Bayelsa State Government for its investment in the education sector, urging it not to relent.