The new Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education, NCAOOSCE, Dr. Muhammad Sani Idris has charged workers of the commission to be dedicated to duty. Dr. Idris gave the charge at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja during his maiden meeting with the staff at the weekend, where he vowed to take millions of the children off the streets.
The assurance of the Executive Secretary of the commission to take millions of the children off the streets is coming at a time when stakeholders are unanimous about the social implications of out-of-school children, especially in the North. Several experts have made the point that the high number of out of school children poses serious security challenges.
Many stakeholders attribute the cause of the high number of out of school children in Northern Nigeria to early child marriage, economic barriers, conflict, socio-cultural norms, and lack of inclusive policies in schools. Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary stressed that solving the problem of Almajiri and out-of-school children is the collective responsibility of government and all citizens especially considering its security implications.