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The Federal Government has appealed to Bayelsa lawmakers to give the compulsory education bill before it an accelerated passage to help tackle the out-of-school children menace in the State.
Minister of State for Education, Rt. Honourable Goodluck Nana Opiah made the appeal on Tuesday at the flag-off ceremony of the National Campaign on out-of-school children in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital.
The compulsory Education Bill seeks to make it compulsory for every parent and guardian to send their children to school in order to rid Bayelsa state of out-of-school children and school dropouts is awaiting passage.
Under the bill, parents of children of school age between 6-18 years who are out of school will be arrested and prosecuted.
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According to the Minister, 60 per cent of out-of-school children in Bayelsa state are girls.
The Minister further said the Federal government through the instrumentality of the Universal Basic Education (UBEC) is doing everything humanly possible to assist the states to strengthen basic education by confronting factors that “deny our children early education, including extreme poverty, ignorance” and access to education among others.
The sensitization, the Minister said is designed to ensure massive enrolment of children in basic and primary schools and should be taken seriously by all stakeholders, adding that it is a moral and legal obligation, the discharge of which would guarantee the future of the children and by necessary implication, the Nation.
Opiah commended successive administrations in Bayelsa state for the special attention accorded education, including the declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector in the state, the introduction of a free education policy at primary and secondary levels and the inauguration of the enrollment drive committee, all of which have led to a huge enrollment in schools in the state.
The Minister said no parent in Bayelsa state has any excuse to keep his or her child out of school anymore.
In his keynote address to the occasion, the Executive Governor of Bayelsa state, Senator Douye Diri said education remains the first, second and third priority of his administration even as he announced that there are more 250,000 children out-of-school in Bayelsa, particularly in the ruler areas.
Governor Diri appealed to all Bayelsans to cooperate with his administration in the implementation of relevant laws on out-of-school children to help rid the state of out-of-school children.
He revealed that relevant laws are already in place and what is required is for all hands to be on deck for its implementation.
He challenged the state assembly to put in place a sound oversight mechanism to ensure that the relevant rules are implemented.
Governor Douye asked Bayelsans to see education beyond certificate acquisition with an emphasis on skills acquisition.
Earlier at a courtesy call on the Executive Governor of Bayelsa state, Senator Douye Diri, the Minister told the Governor that the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari attaches a great premium to the issues of out-of-school children across the country, calling for all hands to be on deck to tackle the phenomenon.
In his reaction, Governor Diri expressed appreciation for the government’s concern for out-of-school children, assuring that His administration stands ready to support the efforts of the Federal government in tackling the out-of-school children phenomenon.
Gov Diri told the Minister that education is and has remained a priority In Bayelsa state at all times.
The Governor used the occasion to inform the Minister that Bayelsa state is up to date in its counterpart funding for Basic education up to 2022 and was awaiting the Federal government component (UBEC) to hit the ground running.
The governor appreciated the cordial relationship between the Federal government and Bayelsa state in all its ramifications.
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