Prof. Lateef Ayeleru, Managing Director, Nigeria French Language Village (NFLV), said one of the achievements of the Tinubu-led administration was to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Ayeleru disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, while speaking on the president’s first year in office.
According to him, the first focus of the administration is reducing the number of out-of-school children to the barest minimum.
“The plan is to eradicate it but we have decided to start with a drastic reduction and we’re seeing the results now.
“The state governments are also supporting the Federal Ministry of Education because if they do not synergise, it will not be effective.
“Our sister agencies, the Nigeria Arabic Village, the Almanjiri Commission and Mass Literacy have come together to look at how to reduce the number and it is coming down, which is very heartwarming for us,” he said.
According to Ayeleru, the Tinubu administration is building on what the past government has done, making adjustments where necessary.
“The focus of the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Maman and the Minister of State, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, are the issues of prioritising the sector.
“Education is very important in a country, because to eradicate insecurity, education must be prioritised.
“The solution to corruption is education, once people are educated and they know their rights, it will be very difficult for them to be indoctrinated,” he said.
Ayeleru said that girl-child education had improved in the present administration.
“Another thing is girl-child education. If you look at our campus in French Village, as I am talking to you, we have about 1,000 students from different universities.
“The percent of females is about 85; so, girl-child education is something that we must focus on.
“It should start from the primary school, secondary school and tertiary institutions,” he told NAN.
According to him, the Tinubu-led administration says what is important is not just the learning or acquisition of certificates.
“When a student graduates, he starts roaming the streets looking for a job that is not there.
“We are talking of skill acquisition; whatsoever you’re learning, there must be a skill that, even when you come out, you can also be a creator of jobs, not a job seeker.
“So, skill acquisition is important.You can create skills out of the French language you are learning and attach it to other businesses you’re doing.
“Look at our neighbours, we are surrounded by Francophone countries. Any business you are doing with French language is an additional knowledge will blossom.
“The focus of the present administration is that skills acquisition remains very important and that is why the government is investing so much on it,” he said. (NAN)
