The Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has countered the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) data on out-of-school children in Bauchi state.
UNICEF has reported that Bauchi has about 1.4 million out of school children which is considered one of the highest in Nigeria.
SUBEB said the figure has dramatically reduced to just 800 children in the entire State.
The SUBEB Executive Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muhammad Duguri, disclosed this at the end of a three-day workshop organized by MASKHAM Model Ventures in collaboration with SUBEB. The workshop, held at Riveredge Hotel Bauchi, focused on “Transforming Organizational Performance for Sustainability of Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA).”
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Speaking further Alhaji Duguri explained that the workshop aimed to mobilize necessary resources by engaging relevant stakeholders to ensure equitable contributions towards achieving educational goals. He emphasized the board’s dedication to improving teachers’ training and retraining for enhanced performance.
Addressing the issue of out-of-school children, Alhaji Duguri stated that the number had decreased significantly from over 1.6 million to just 800.
He further rejected UNICEF’s data on Bauchi state, calling it “infeasible, inaccurate, and unjust.”
Duguri argued that UNICEF’s methodology was flawed, as it classified Almajiri students—who pursue Islamic education—as out-of-school children, which he deemed unfair.
“Almajiri children should not be considered out of school because they are students pursuing Islamic education, just like their counterparts in other religions,” Duguri said, adding “We reject all the data presented by UNICEF on out-of-school children in Bauchi; we have only 800 out of school.”
Abdullahi Muhammad Ningi, the Chief Executive Officer of MASKHAM Model Ventures, explained that the workshop carefully selected about 120 participants, including school teachers, administrative staff, and staff officers from local education authorities across the 20 local government areas.
Ningi said the training provided participants with an opportunity to brainstorm and proffer solutions to the educational challenges facing the society.
Professor Muhammad Mahmud Baba from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, who discussed “Professional Ethics of Teaching,” called for the recognition of teaching through enhanced welfare packages and other forms of motivation.
Meanwhile, Malam Abdul Ahmed Burra from the Department of Mass Communication at Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi, called for integrating Almajiri education with western education to promote proper learning.
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