Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, stated this at
the maiden quarterly Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement on Nigerian Education
Sector Ministerial Deliverables.
He said the government had put measures in place to
reposition the nation’s education sector, adding that by the time we’re done,
private schools will run out of business and scale down the amounts they’re
charging our students.”
Speaking on fake certificates, the Minister said:”Talking
about accreditation of certificates, some two, three months ago, the issue of
fake certificates flooded the country and a high-powered interministerial
committee was set up.
“That committee is rounding off its work. And from what I
heard, we have major breakthroughs about fake certificates flooding this
country.
“So, as we promised earlier on, once we get the report, not
only will it help the ministry strengthen its recognition and accreditation of
certificates but those who patronize fake certificates will have themselves to
blame.
“This is because we are going to trace them with the help of
security agencies, to their employers so they are all flushed out of the
system. And in appropriate cases investigated.”
Speaking further, Prof. Mamman disclosed that over two
million Almajiri children have been lifted from the street and enrolled in
school Arabic literacy programmes to acquire basic education and vocational
training.
The minister mentioned many successful strides recorded by
his administration since assumption of office, under the ministry’s 23
deliverables handed down by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to his ministry.
According to him, the mechanism established by the ministry
for inter governmental relations had helped in building public private
partnerships, brought about an increment in school enrollment, transition and
completion for learners especially those with disabilities.
Mamman, who noted that the reduction of out of school
children in Nigeria was one of the major focuses of the current administration,
gave assurances that before the end of the year, many more children out of
school would be brought back to acquire learning and skills.
“2,000,000 out of school children, Almajiri were enrolled in
basic education and an Arabic literacy programme with vocational training.
Developed the guidelines and training manuals for the implementation of
inclusive basic education Nigeria.
“These have increased access, enrollment and retention,
completion of both basic, secondary and tertiary school levels.”
The minister also revealed that in the last six months,
70,674 teachers and non-teaching staff from across all levels of academic and
non-Academic training institutes were trained; 2,122 students were awarded
Nigerian scholarship awards, 2,889 students studying abroad benefitted from
bursary awards amongst other scholarships.
In addition, the minister further revealed that the ministry
was at the verge of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the private firm
on the PPP model, to overcome the challenges of data confronting the education
sector.
While lamenting that students were receding into illiteracy,
Mamman said one way to address the learning crisis in the country was to infuse
skills and digitisation into the education system beginning from primary
schools.
To this end, he said there was a need to review the
curriculum to accommodate new teaching methods that give room for skills and
digitisation.
“We cannot go into the next century with this situation;
students who cannot think, who cannot communicate amongst themselves, who
cannot collaborate, who don’t have these soft skills and have problems with
access to digital facilities.
“That’s why we have so many out of school children because
first, they don’t see the value of going to school so we want to introduce
skills and digitization from primary school.
“Those of us who went to school, especially in the 60s, 70s
we were beneficiaries of what was then called comprehensive Secondary School
where they were the regular courses.
“There was a section on commerce and there was a separate
section on trades.”
The minister who described the recent kidnap of three
students of the University of Calabar as sad, said the government was
developing a safe school agenda with a view to giving protection to schools and
students.
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