Prof Tahir called on States government to show greater commitment towards providing counterpart funding to accelerate the development of basic education in the country. Photo: Daniel Adejo/Radio Nigeria
The Universal Basic Education Commission has revealed that Nigeria needs an additional 20,000 schools and 907,769 classrooms to be able to absorb the growing number of out-of-school children in the country.
A statement by the Director, Press, of the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, disclosed this on Tuesday.
The statement said the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hammed Boboyi, gave the statistics while briefing the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, on his agency’s activities.
The Executive Secretary identified Infrastructural gaps, and inadequate Manpower as some of the challenges facing the Commission in its efforts towards ensuring equitable access to quality basic Education
The Minister OF Education Professor Tahir Mamman said his administration would prioritize basic Education in the Country, emphasizing that the foundation level was the most critical segment in the sector which must be properly developed to impact positively on other tiers of the sector and overall National Development.
The Minister maintained that the forthcoming National Census would put paid to the controversies surrounding the actual figures of out of school children.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu emphasised that all hands must be on deck to ensure that Children get the desired education to prepare them for the future. Dr then Sununu directed the UBEC Chief Executive to take the struggle for counterpart funding to the door step of State Governors explaining that an Uneducated Child is a clear danger to himself and society at large.
Reporting by Daniel Adejo; Editing by Oluwaseyi Ajibade