The Federal Government has revealed that one out of every three children of school age in Nigeria is out of school.
Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, disclosed this in Abuja, while briefing newsmen on the activities of the ministry, to mark President Goodluck Jonathan’s first 100 days in office.
Wike said access and quality were the basic problems of the Nigerian education sector, adding that “at the basic level, one out of three children of school age is out of school.”
Besides, he said less than 10 per cent of qualified candidates gained admission to tertiary institutions, in addition to gross shortfall in qualified teachers at all levels.
The minister, however, said the ministry of education, in conjunction with parastatals agencies, within the limits of fiscal constraints, had initiated strategies, directed at tackling some of these teething problems at all levels.
According to him, re-training of teachers had received a major boost, as the Federal Government had committed N9.2 billion to the programme, through the National Teachers Institute and Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
The minister said the Federal Government had commenced action on a four-year strategic plan, to ensure quality development in the education sector for all Nigerians.
He said that the government would also pursue teacher education and development, while also planning to enhance technical and vocational education to create employment.