Nigeria’s Education Minister, Professor Tahir Mamman, warned that the large number of out-of-school children is a serious security problem.
Speaking on Thursday at the inauguration of governing councils of Federal Tertiary Institutions and Board of Trustees of Tertiary Education Trust Fund in Abuja, Mamman said the recent #EndBadGovernance protests had showed how big this problem is, especially in Northern staes of the country.
“We need to tackle the out-of-school problem squarely. The recent protests showed how many young people are on the streets in places like Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Borno. This is a serious issue and a security challenge that we must all address.”
Mamman also talked about past education systems, saying, “In the 60s and 70s, our schools taught useful skills along with regular subjects. We lost that focus, but now we are coming back to it, we are introducing that in our plan we are set to developed a national skill framework, and we’ve developed variety of skill sets, and we are going to roll it out from this September/ October school year.”
The Minister also highlighted some challenges that institutions face, including low carrying capacity in universities and colleges of education and the instability of academic calendars due to strikes over the years.
ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke called for better use of TETFund money. “TETFund is vital for keeping our colleges running,” Osodeke said. “Our education system needs a big change. The funds must be used wisely to help future students.
TETFund Executive Secretary, Arch. Sonny Echono congratulated the new board members and emphassed the importance of their work. “Our growing youth population needs good education to succeed,” Echono said.
