BY Claire Mom
Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned that every out-of-school child is a potential future threat to Nigeria.
Shettima spoke on Thursday during a conference on girl child education at the banquet hall of the presidential villa in Abuja.
The conference was organised by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).
The vice president was represented by Ibrahim Hadejia, the deputy chief of staff to the president.
Shettima said statistics on the country’s out-of-school children are frightening and reflect the urgent need for inclusive education.
He said each child abandoned on the streets is a liability that the nation will one day pay for.
“The latest multiple indicator cluster survey showed that 25.6% of children of primary school age are out of school,” he said.
“This rate rises to 29.6% for secondary school-age children. Each child abandoned on the streets is a liability that the nation will one day pay for.
“We must therefore remember that the child who remains out of school today will be a threat to their peer in the classroom tomorrow, and we cannot afford to turn away from this reality, and the need for creative and innovative solutions is now more present than ever.”
Shettima urged stakeholders to unite with a singular focus on ensuring that every child receives quality education.
“The stakes are too high for us to hesitate. The risk posed by each out-of-school child should concern us all, and what we need is a concerted, multi-sectoral approach,” he said.
Zeroing in on the importance of girl child education, the vice president said it contributes directly to national development.
“These gains are, however, at risk unless we intensify our interventions to reach every girl, particularly in areas where barriers remain strongest.
“This is why, at the National Economic Council, we have set out to guarantee the future of a girl child, adopting education as one of our critical thematic areas of intervention, alongside health, nutrition, and employability in a rapidly changing world.”
While the vice president commended states for dedicating 14 percent of their budgets to education, he urged them to aim higher.
“Our campaign to see 15 to 20% of the state budget allocated to education is not just a target, but a necessity as it is the surest way to guarantee the future of our children and our nation,” he added.
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