The activities of kidnappers in and around public schools, where hundreds of school children were recently whisked away, have been identified as a setback that is jeopardizing the federal government’s huge investment in education.
This was contained in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s message to the children, during the occasion to mark this year’s Children’s Day in Lafia on Monday.
The President, therefore urged proprietors of private schools to key into the Federal Government’s Home Grown School Feeding programme, saying, his government has earmarked One Hundred Billion Naira for the pupils in the 2024 budget.
Governor Abdullahi Sule, who delivered the president’s message in Lafia, said the pupils can only benefit from the school feeding programme if owners of private schools allow the children to be enlisted among beneficiaries of FG’s huge budgeted sum.
Tinubu said, over Ten million children across public schools in the country have already been captured as beneficiaries of the programme.
He, however, encouraged the private school owners to embrace the programme for their benefit.
The Governor, who was also represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Emmanuel Akabe, said the federal government, in collaboration with states is working towards establishing 91 vocational skills acquisition centres across the country, to train teachers on digital skills.
He mentioned the provision of modern learning materials and quality education for all Nigerian children, as areas of focus by the present administration to the standard of education.
According to him, the Federal Government has invested so much in education, but unfortunately, the activities of kidnappers in some of the schools, where hundreds of students were been kidnapped jeopardised the efforts of the government.
The President said, the government will not be deterred by the activities of the enemies, as it will continue to do the needful in making sure that children are given the best kind of education in the country.
Aisha Rufa’i Ibrahim, the State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development said, children are special gifts, not only to the parents but to the society in general.
The Women Commissioner emphasized that children are the future of the nation, and there is a need for all to galvanize action towards proffering lasting solutions to address challenges bedevilling their growth and education.
The commissioner further emphasized the need for children to learn quality education and skills after school hours, as such will allow the pupils to be self-reliant for good.
She commended Governor Sule’s efforts for allocating a huge amount for education in the 2024 budget, and reiterated the government’s concern for improving the wellbeing of the children, by providing them with nutritional food for their development.
Jibrin Agabi, a Lecturer from the Federal University of Lafia, who stressed the importance of quality education and skills to enhance children’s development, called on all stakeholders to collaborate towards teaching the students the quality education and skills to drive the industrialization policy of the Governor Abdullahi Sule.
The Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Danladi Jatau, has advocated for more collaborative efforts to end the number of out-of-school children, child labour, street begging and hawking as well as all other forms of violence against children in the society.
While calling for an end to these, the Speaker said, the 7th Nasarawa Assembly will continue to enact laws, make resolutions to protect children’s rights and encourage their education.
Jatau said the House under his watch will continue to enact laws and make resolutions that will protect the rights of children as future leaders.
He lamented the growing rate of out-of-school children, as a result of child labour, street hawking and begging, and emphasized the need for collective responsibilities to tackle the menace in society.
“If parents, guardians and other stakeholders, as well as individuals and groups, join hands with the government in tackling child abuse, child labour and other forms of violence against children in the society, it would go a long way in promoting peace, unity and societal development’’.
He described education as the best instrument to fight poverty, and other societal vices, saying that, a lasting legacy to give a child is education, hence the priority by the government.
However, children from the Command Secondary School, Lafia Police Secondary School, Lafia, emerged overall best and second positions in match pass in the secondary school category, while Government Secondary School, Dunama, came third.
In the Primary School category, Al-Iman Schools came First, Saint William Second and Tudu Kauri Third respectively.
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