Summit: Benue Stakeholders Re-commit to Ending Out-of-School Crisis

George Okoh in Makurdi

The Benue government, through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), recently held an educational summit to achieve the goal of zero out-of-school children.

It was organised in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE) and Universal Learning Solutions (ULS).

The summit, held at the Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, with the theme ‘Innovative Strategies for Addressing the Menace of Out-of-School Children: Enhancing Enrolment and Retention of Children in Basic Schools’, brought together key stakeholders in the education sector, religious and traditional leaders, to chart a new course for tackling the growing challenge of out-of-school children.

Governor Hyacinth Alia, in his opening remarks, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to free and compulsory basic education for every child in Benue State, saying that access to education remains a fundamental right that must not be denied to any child.

He commended UBEC for supporting Benue and choosing the state for the flag-off of the distribution of school kits, and promised that the gesture would not be taken for granted. He noted that the quality of basic education in the state greatly improved under his watch.

“We must now move from building schools to building futures. It is in this spirit that we convened this summit,” the governor said, stressing that the gathering was designed to generate actionable strategies anchored on international best practices.

He described the summit as more than a policy dialogue, saying that it marked the launch of a historic project aimed at guaranteeing access to compulsory education and ensuring that every Benue child is enrolled in school.

As part of efforts to curb the menace of out-of-school children, Governor Alia launched the Brace Up Project and inaugurated student marshals across all local government areas to monitor and identify out-of-school children within their communities.

“To demonstrate our political will, I will donate a bus and a Hilux van for Project Brace Up,” he announced.

The governor reassured citizens that basic education in the state remains free and urged parents and guardians to take advantage of the opportunity.

He also commended teachers for their tireless dedication to advancing education in the state.

Alia commended the Chairman of Benue SUBEB, Dr Grace Adagba, for her “dedication and relentless effort in ensuring that basic education in the state remains a moving train,” urging stakeholders and community leaders to forge partnerships to strengthen the system.

He said that since Adagba assumed office, enrolment in schools has increased and school infrastructure has greatly improved.

The governor also thanked the NCAOOSCE for handing over data of out-of-school children to the state government, saying that school supplies have already been provided for the first 525 children reintegrated into the school system.

“Let me assure the commission that the government will continue with the initiative until out-of-school children are fully reintegrated,” he said, while thanking UBEC, UNICEF and ULS for providing additional school materials.

Former Governor Gabriel Suswam identified poverty as a major factor driving the out-of-school crisis in Nigeria, describing the national figures as alarming and requiring decisive intervention.

The Tor Tiv, Prof James Ayatse, called for the integration of religious and traditional leaders in the campaign against out-of-school children, saying that they would play a critical role in reversing the trend. He solicited support for the governor, saying that he has done so much for the sector and should be encouraged to do more.

The Executive Secretary of NCAOOSCE, Dr Muhammad Idris, disclosed that the commission had identified over 700,000 out-of-school children nationwide and described Alia as “the only governor in the country to have those discovered in this state registered in school”.

“It is our prayer that at the end of your tenure as governor, Benue will record zero out-of-school children,” Idris added.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hajiya Aisha Garba, commended Benue for its tangible reforms in the basic education sector. She also highlighted the recent reforms introduced by UBEC, which enabled states to access over N100 billion in counterpart funding.

“What we are doing is to ensure that no child is left behind, and central to what we are doing is the reform of UBEC,” she said.

Presenting the governor’s scorecard, Adagba said the state had aligned with national education targets, revived free nursery public schools, expanded early childhood education and improved infrastructure and security in schools. She disclosed that over 9,000 teachers have been employed, with improved welfare packages, including the payment of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) allowances and the implementation of a harmonised retirement age for teachers.

“With the collaboration with UBEC, agricultural education has been revived. Governor Alia is working, but he is not a man for the camera; he has allowed his footprints to speak about his monumental achievements,” Adagba said.

In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of ULS, Gary Foxcroft, described the summit as a demonstration of shared commitment to improving basic education in Benue and announced the donation of 1,000 Jolly Phonics books to support Benue SUBEB in its out-of-school children initiative.

“This initiative by Governor Alia and Dr Grace Adagba is truly inspiring,” Foxcroft said. “Benue SUBEB has shown real ownership, ensuring that teachers and the young learners are supported to sustain impact. Nigeria should be proud of this initiative and what has already been achieved through this collaboration.”

He added that Universal Learning Solutions will further support Benue SUBEB with the internationally recognised, evidence-based Jolly Phonics programme—a child-centred, structured pedagogy for teaching literacy through synthetic phonics.

TRCN’s Registrar, Dr Ronke Soyombo, lauded the reform agenda of the Alia-led administration, saying that under his leadership, Benue witnessed an unimaginable transformation in the basic education sector. She noted that the governor’s impressive record, coupled with Dr Adagba’s drive at Benue SUBEB, indicates that the state is on the right path to fight the menace of out-of-school children. The event witnessed the presentation of a gold award to the governor by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), in recognition of his education-friendly policies, a gesture the governor said would inspire his administration to do even more for the sector.