Governor of Bayelsa State Douye Diri and the Minister of State, Education, Hon Goodluck Nanah Opiah, have decried the high number of out-of-school children in Bayelsa State, saying it is alarming.
The duo spoke on Tuesday at the official flag-off ceremony and distribution of some materials to out-of-school children at the Harold Dappa Biriye Hall, Golden Tulip, Government, Yenagoa.
Diri who put the figure of out-of-school children in Bayelsa at 250,000 disclosed that his investigation revealed that the state already has a law enacted and passed in 2018 to address the issue.
While noting that his administration has continued with the policy of free primary and secondary education through the provision of uniforms and other materials, he expressed disbelief that with the existing law, Bayelsa could still have out-of-school children.
Diri took time to read portions of the law christened: ‘Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education Law 2018’ to the audience and immediately directed the stringent implementation and enforcement of the law across the state.
“Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) call to duty. This law has to be implemented across all our communities. For the Ministry of Information, jingles have to be produced to enlighten our citizens about the existence of this law. The law is copious. It covers everything. This law was signed by the former governor on 21st February 2018 and yet unfortunately we are still having out-of-school children in our state. I say unfortunately because from what I was given from the internet, it was unbelievable that a law like this was enacted and assented to by a sitting governor. Bayelsa should be one of the least states that should have out-of-school children. You are hereby directed to ensure going forward; Bayelsa would be the least state with out-of-school children in Nigeria,” he said.
Diri also implored the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to perform its oversight function to ensure implementation of the law, while also urging the Chairman Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council to galvanise support for the law.
Opiah in his remarks disclosed that “surprisingly, Bayelsa State has a very high number of out-of-school children of which 60% are girls.
“These children are found on the streets hawking, engaging in the extraction of sand and sea shells, fishing and some as house girls without any skill. It is, therefore, necessary for us to address this challenge adequately and this calls for strengthening the quality of basic education in the state by confronting head-on those factors that deny our children access to basic education. This is why the sensitisation programme is designed to ensure enrolment of all school-age children in school and this effort should be taken seriously by all stakeholders,” he said.