The governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has raised concern about the high number of out-of-school children in the state (250,000 or more).
He claimed that in order to make things better, the state must collaborate with parents, the elderly, and other community leaders.
In Yenagoa, the state's capital, Diri spoke yesterday. He was present when the Federal Ministry of Education launched a nationwide campaign to address youngsters who are not in school.
The governor has committed to doing everything he can to ensure that all children of school age have access to high-quality education through his chief press secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah.
He advised parents and local authorities to take all reasonable steps to enrol their children in school.
In order to guarantee that all elementary and secondary school students receive free public education, Diri said that the state government had paid for school uniforms and other instructional materials.
He expressed dismay that despite legislation being passed to address the issue, so many kids in the state were not registered in school. He asked the relevant organisations to see that the law was publicly publicised and adequately adhered to.
The Federal Ministry of Education deserves recognition for taking the campaign to the Niger Delta and Bayelsa, according to Diri, who complimented the idea.
He states, “The Bayelsa State House of Assembly passed a law on this matter in 2018. So, Mr Minister, Bayelsa State had addressed the issues long before now. But your coming is vital, as it has opened our eyes to the level of out-of-school children in our state.
“The issue is mostly about implementation. We have the laws to ensure our children are educated. This law has to be implemented across our communities. The Ministries of Information and Education must do all within their power to ensure the public is aware of this law and that it is implemented.
“It is unbelievable that a law like this was enacted and assented to by a sitting governor. Yet we have out-of-school children.”
“Let me take this opportunity to call on parents to ensure they take advantage of government provisions. There is free primary education. The government is providing uniforms and other instructional materials. So, why won’t parents send their children to school?
“As a state, we will continue to prioritise education and have a paradigm shift that will be beyond certificates. We have introduced technical education and by our third anniversary, we will inaugurate some of the schools.”
Goodluck Nanah-Opiah, the Minister of State for Education, said that everyone had some part to play in ensuring that all children received a quality education and urged all relevant parties to work together to end the problem of illiteracy.
He argued that the state government should prioritise education because the federal government has established procedures to make school available to all children of school age.