Starrays
By Moses Agbe.-(NASS Abuja)
The Chairman House Committee on Alternative Education, Hon (Arch.) Aliyu Al-Mustapha has called for increased funding for the National Commission for Out of School Children and Almajiris, the National Commission for Nomadic Education and the National Commission for Adult and Non Formal Education in order to curtail anti-social activities among these vulnerable groups that could threaten the socio-economic fabric as well as the security of the nation, thus adversely affecting the welfare and wellbeing of the Nigerian people.
The able Committee Chairman made this clarion call at a meeting with the Honourable Ministers of Finance, and Budget and National Planning, Chief Wale Edun and Senator Atiku Bagudu respectively at the National Assembly Complex recently.
According to Hon Aliyu Al-Mustapha: ”Many out of school children featured prominently in the recent nationwide protests particularly in the Northern parts of the country and it is a very unfortunate development which should be curtailed drastically so as not to rear it’s ugly head in the future.
“Thus for the past one year, this commitee has been discussing with the executive branch particularly the Ministry of Budget and National Planning on the issue of out of school children and what needs to be done for positive change to take place in that area.
“Also the minister of finance has a big role to play for the takeoff of the National Commission for Out of School Children and Almajiris which was created through the hardwork of this honourable house and quickly assented to by former President Muhammadu Buhari and appointments duly made by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
” The issue of out of school children if not properly tackled can threaten the socio-economic development and security of our country and impact negatively on the wellbeing of our people.
The N4 billion earmarked for the National Commission of Out of School Children and Almajiris, the National Commission for Nomadic Education and the National Commission for Adult and Non Formal Education is too meagre for agencies catering for marginalized groups of over 60 million people and there is a need for a drastic increase in the amounts allocated to the marginalized agencies”, Hon Al-Mustapha emphasised.
The Minister of National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu reiterated that his ministry was working together with the United Nations agencies on educational development like the UNDP and other global agencies like the Qatar Foundation to provide funding for those marginalized agencies under the purview of the House Committee on Alternative Education.
On his own part, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Chief Wale Edun stated that his Ministry was prioritizing the safe education strategy were educational institutions would be safeguarded to protect them from attacks by bandits, insurgents, terrorist and kidnapping networks.
