Lagos State Government is unlocking the pulse of education by enforcing that children of school age are kept in the classrooms.
At the Stakeholders meeting on out-of-school children survey held at Providence Hotel, Ikeja, on Monday, the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Sam Egube said that the survey is to drastically reduce the worrisome rate of children who are not in school.
He emphasised that no child must be denied access to education in the state as the government has made education free up to Senior Secondary School level.
Egube said: “The development of our school children is essentially central to the development of Lagos State and ultimately, the country. There is a great need for children to have access to continuous learning with no impediments, and emerge with quality skills that will equip them for the future. The Out-of-School children survey will enable the government to acquire credible data, thus enabling proper policy formulation that will benefit all children across the State, irrespective of financial circumstance and other factors.
“Thirty-five percent of children who are able to attend primary school do not attend secondary school, or they drop out once they reach a certain level and the State cannot do this alone, we need to look to agencies of government and our communities”.
The Commissioner reassured all stakeholders of the stance of the administration that “no one must be left behind” in the quest to provide quality education for our future leaders.
The survey will focus on Households, Streets, Motor Parks, Markets, Special Homes and Rehabilitation Centres within the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the state.
Also, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo reminded all community leaders and heads of Educational Districts that the mantle fell on them to hold themselves accountable for the success of primary education in their communities.
She urged educational institutions owned by religious organisations to cater for the needs of low income earners, stating that they needed to gather data on why children are out of school to enable them get such victims off the streets, which would in turn reduce the rate of societal ills.
“It is a general societal problem we must all address. It is not just a public school problem. We need to understand that schools set up by many religious organizations are not for the poor, with the fees they charge, you can see that they appeal to a certain group of people. This is why we must know why our children are out of school, and what we can do. But it is also your responsibility to help us get these facts”. Adefisayo said.
The survey, which commenced on Tuesday, will run till Wednesday, 28th December.
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