By Mercy Adi
The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, has revealed that the Federal Government is working closely with state governors to address the alarming issue of out-of-school children in Nigeria. Speaking at the 2025 Budget Defence session in Abuja, Alausa emphasized the need for a collaborative effort to tackle this problem, which affects not just one region, but the entire country.
“So we’re working together on this. So, it now has to be a collaborative effort on what we have to do,” Alausa said. “The number of out-of-school children is mind-boggling and disturbing. We need to confront it else we will be consumed by it.”
Alausa also expressed concern about the abandoned Almajiri Schools built during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. “Of the over a hundred schools built for out-of-school children, only a few are operational. The funding of the Almajiri and out-of-School Commission is not enough. We need more funding in this regard,” he urged.
To boost the education sector, Alausa stressed the importance of human capital development. “We want them to develop. It’s the best part of any society. Without education, we can’t survive as a society. And if you look at the human capital index, Nigeria has one of the lowest human capital index in the world.”
Senator Muntari Dandutse, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, echoed the importance of education in national development. “As lawmakers, we have a constitutional responsibility to ensure that resources allocated to this critical sector are strategically planned and utilized.”
Dandutse also highlighted the need for the proposed 2025 budget to address gaps identified in the 2024 Appropriation and introduce innovative strategies to tackle emerging challenges in the education sector.