The Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi has advocated for deployment of open schooling mode in the efforts to eliminate the challenge of out-of-school children phenomenon in Nigeria.
He argued that the adoption of the open schooling mode is capable of reaching a large number of learners while eliminating the barriers currently imposed by space and time.
Nigeria is said to have more than 10.2 million school-aged children that are not in school. The crisis is now being exacerbated by the prevailing insecurity in many parts of the country that has taken its toll on schooling and the reliance on face-to-face mode of learning.
Speaking at a meeting with chairmen and directors of social mobilisation of SUBEBs in Abuja on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, said if Nigeria is to make a headway in curtailing the growing number of out-of-school children, it must explore new approaches.
He noted that the engagement with the SUBEBs chairmen was to strategise on the effective rollout of open schooling programme across the country.
Recall that UBEC introduced the open schooling programme to improve enrolment, retention and completion of UBE programmes for out-of-school children in a flexible education system that allows participants to learn remotely in an informal manner.
Bobboyi also said that the mode has successfully been deployed by many countries that share similar characteristics with Nigeria to surmount the challenge of ensuring that opportunities are made available for children who cannot go to school.
“Executive Chairmen and Directors here present, as we try the open schooling mode at the pilot stage, the roles you will play are very crucial in the successful implementation of the programme through your leadership and dedication.
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“As leaders at the grassroots level, you will play a pivotal role in the effective implementation of the open schooling programme.
“Your responsibilities, as will be discussed at this meeting, are multi-faceted, ranging from identifying and mapping out of out-of-school children, appointment/deployment of centre managers and facilitators, remuneration of the OSP personnel, providing adequate security for the OSP facilities, facilitating community engagement to encouraging enrollment while emphasising on the inclusive nature of the programme.
“It is imperative that no child is left behind in our quest to achieve the UBEC mandate. I urge you all to approach this endeavor with dedication and passion. The success of the open schooling programme rests on our collective shoulders. Together, let us empower every child with the
gift of education, fostering a brighter future to our nation,” he added.
Earlier, the acting director of social mobilisation, Dr. Ossom Ossom commended the executive secretary for his vision to improve basic education in the country.
However, he said there was a need to look at the alternative means of ensuring that all Nigerian children have quality education.
On his part, Dean of SUBEB chairmen, Prof. Shehu Adaramaja expressed commitment of the states to key into the open school initiative.
He, however, urged the government to consider expanding the programme to reach other states in the country.
