BY: Mohammed Oluwatimileyin Taoheed
The Federal Government of Nigeria has bemoaned the alleged mismanagement of the basic education level by some northern Governors.
In reaction to a question on the state of nomadic education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education, said the situation is discouraging the Federal Government’s will to intervene at that level of education.
Adamu made this known during the weekly Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communication Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Recall that the Federal Government established the National Commission for Nomadic Education in 1989 to provide access to basic education for the nomadic population of the country with the aim of “boosting literacy and equipping them with skills and competences to enhance their well-being and participation in the nation-building process.”
BUT, reacting to a question on the state of the scheme, Adamu commented: “The problem we have in nomadic education is like the problem I had when I came with my journalistic exuberance into government. I believed an emergency will be declared.
“But on reflection, not by me, but by the government, we found that declaring the emergency is more of a matter for states. And so, my effort was directed at the States. When I presented my memo to the Council, I was asked to go and present it to the National Economic Council.
“I presented the paper three times trying to convince State Governments to see the wisdom in declaring emergency, at least in the primary schools, and then that will strengthen the hand of the government, even if by way of intervention, to help the States to rescue primary schools”.
He maintained that his efforts as Minister will “amount to nothing if the foundational education system is already rotten.”
The United Nations Children Fund, in 2018, said over 60 per cent of Nigeria’s out-of-school children are located in the country’s north.
According to the Minister: “The way our primary schools are…and I would like to say this about Governors, especially in the northern states. It is as if they are looking for power to destroy education at the primary school level. Except for a few.
“I don’t think there’s any Governor who has any good story to say about primary education and nomadic education, the Federal Government is only making intervention.
“So unless we have full cooperation from the states, I think achieving the objectives of nomadic education will take a long time to come. I hope states will change their attitude.’’
The Minister also said the almajiri system inherited from the Jonathan administration was not properly implemented.
“I think the conception of almajiri schools and how to run them were not properly done by the government we inherited. But I know right now they are being incorporated into our schools.
“As I told you, there are now about 6 million out-of-school children, probably some of them who are trooping here (Abuja), but certainly there should be government policy to stop the movement of almajiri or almajirai, as they’re called Hausa, a provision should be made for instructing them wherever they are,’’ he stated.
