Reps To Probe N210 Billion Out-of-School Children Funds Amid Rising Numbers

The House of Representatives has agreed to investigate the over N210 billion funds disbursed for the Alternative School Programme, Better Education Service Delivery for All, At Risk Children Programme and Interventions Programme for Out of School Children from 2016 to date.

This was sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Tijani Ismail Kayode from Kwara State at plenary on Tuesday.

In his lead debate, Kayode said in October 2019, the Ministry of Education confirmed that the Federal Government committed the sum of N10 billion for the removal of 10.2 million out-of-school children from the streets within five years to enrol two million children annually.

He also said on January 31, 2022, the Federal Government adopted the then Presidential Committee on Alternate Education report and renewed its commitment to provide educational opportunities for over 10 million out-of-school children through the Alternate School Programme under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and over N200 billion was allocated for the initiative.

The lawmaker noted that a similar intervention by the World Bank worth $750 million was accessed and utilised within the last four years through Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) for the enrollment of out-of-school Children in Nigeria.

“Informed that in 2021, the Federal government introduced the At-Risk Children Programme (ARC-P), requiring hundreds of billions of Naira in expenditure.

“Regrets that despite the Federal government’s efforts and the release of funds for the execution of the programme, the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria continues to increase rapidly.

“Worried that the misuse of Alternate School Programme funds to reduce out-of-school children in Nigeria has negatively impacted these schemes, leaving many children unschooled.”