Education minister solicits World Bank support

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has urged the World Bank to assist Nigeria in reducing the number of Out- of- School children from 10 to 5 million by the year 2023.

The minister made this known in a statement signed by Mr Ben Goong, Director, Press and Public Relations of the ministry and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said this when a delegation of the World Bank, led by its Country Director, Mr Shubham Chawdry paid him a working visit.

Adamu said this was in line with the current administration’s goal of ensuring that Nigerian children had access to qualitative education, irrespective of their economic backgrounds.

The minister who expressed discomfort at the number of out-of- School children in the country, said the Federal Government was keen on reducing the number in addition to improving the standard of education in the country.

He said the ministry was currently working with the World Bank on projects aimed at encouraging children back to school, particularly in the area of increased enrollment of the Girl-child.

While commending the bank on its commitment to the development of the nation’s educational sector, Adamu expressed government’s readiness for better interventions that would tackle obstacles to the eradication of the out- of -school children phenomenon.

In his remarks, World Bank Director, Shubham Chawdry, reiterated his organisation’s commitment to the improvement of the nation’s education sector.

Chawdry, who emphasised that education was a sure way of eliminating poverty, pledged the readiness of his organisation to assisting in financing more projects that would foster the development of the country’s educational system.

The country director also declared World Bank’s interest in long-lasting projects, adding that the bank would no longer dictate developmental projects but leave the decision to governments as they were in the best position to ascertain the needs of their citizens.