Out-of-School Children: Ebonyi Launches Enrollment Programme

In collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Abuja and the World Bank, the Ebonyi State Government has concluded plan to launch an enrollment drive on Monday, August 19th, 2019.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday 14th August, 2019, in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi Universal Basic Education Board (EBSUBEB) Chairman, Chief Hyacinth Ikpo, disclosed that the programme *is* aimed at bringing out-of-school children back to school.

He stated that the current administration was making concerted effort to ensure that all children of school age living in the state, but are not in school are taken back to school.

According to him, the state government is conscious of the potential danger that out-of-school children pose to the society, so efforts must be made to grant them unrestricted access to quality education.

EBSUBEB boss, who claimed that there was no accurate statistical data of the number of school-age children, who are out-of-school, noted that government had set machinery in motion to come up with reliable statistics.

“We don’t have for now any reliable data of the number of out-of-school children in Ebonyi, but the government has mapped out programmes and strategies to know the number of out-of-school and get them back to school,” he said.

“Part of the strategy is the setting up of committees at the 171 wards, local government and state levels. And part of the assignment of the committees especially at the ward level is to go from house to house, conduct census of the number of children in a particular household, how many are of school age, who are not in school,” he added.

Ikpo also stated that apart from the scholarships they would enjoy, all the children under this programme would be provided free uniforms, textbooks and other incentives.

“Under the programme, the government will provide school uniforms, exercise books, textbooks as well as free school meals to the children,” he said.