Lagos State Government is unlocking the pulse of education by enforcing that children of school age are kept in the classrooms.
This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Sam Egube during the Stakeholders meeting on out of School Children survey at Providence Hotel, Ikeja, on Monday.
He said the Survey aims to drastically reduce the worrisome phenomenon of the rate of children who are not in school, restating that no child must be denied access to education in the State as the State Government has made education free 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.
“35 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,” he said.
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.
Meanwhile, the survey will focus on Households, Streets, Motor Parks, Markets, Special Homes and Rehabilitation Centres within the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in the State.
In the same vein, the Commissioner for Education, Folashade Adefisayo also reminded all Community Leaders and Heads of Educational Districts present 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 organizations to cater for the needs of low income earners, they need to gather data as to why children are out of school will also enable them get children off the streets which will 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, 20th December will run till Wednesday, 28th December 2022 and will take place in all LGAs and LCDAs of Lagos State.
