The National Commission for Nomadic Education has sought the collaboration and partnership of the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB) towards the effective implementation of the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP) in the State, with particular focus on reducing the number of out-of-school children and youths among nomadic communities.
The Commission’s Executive Secretary, Haruna Bashir Usman, a professor, represented by Rose Nwaji, a director in charge of planning, research and statistics of the Commission, paid a strategic visit to ENSUBEB to formally share the reports and findings from their study and enrolment-drive activities conducted in ten selected Local Government Areas of Enugu State.
The council areas are Aninri, Awgu, Enugu East, Ezeagu, Igboetiti, Igboeze North, Isi-Uzo, Nsukka, Oji River and Udenu LGAs.
The study, undertaken last year according to Nwaji, was designed to ascertain the number and locations of children and youths of school age who were outside the formal education system, particularly within nomadic communities.
The findings, which showed that Isi-Uzo LGA has the highest number of Nomadic out-of-school children at 372 followed by Aninri with 206 Nomadic out-of-school children amongst others, have provided important data on the magnitude of the challenge and the educational needs of the affected children.
Presenting the findings, Chidiebere Ugwu from the Audit Department, explained that the information gathered during the study and subsequent enrolment drive had enabled the Commission to develop an educational approach that takes into consideration the peculiar environment and circumstances of the children.
He noted that the curriculum and programme framework developed from the findings would be aligned with the curriculum being implemented in conventional schools while incorporating appropriate adaptations to make learning relevant and accessible to children in nomadic communities.
He further emphasised that the ultimate objective is to ensure that every child and youth of school age is given an opportunity to access education, regardless of location, lifestyle, or socio-economic circumstances.
The delegation further explained that the National Commission for Nomadic Education is one of the implementing partners of the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP) in selected pilot states for nomadic out-of-school children and youths.
They therefore, called for a strong partnership with ENSUBEB to ensure that the programme is effectively implemented in Enugu State, as such collaboration would be critical to translating the findings of the research and enrolment drive into actual school enrolment, retention and learning outcomes.
The proposed partnership is expected to facilitate stronger coordination between the Commission and ENSUBEB in areas including identification of out-of-school children, community mobilisation, enrolment, curriculum implementation, teacher support, monitoring and evaluation.
Responding on behalf of the Executive Chairman of ENSUBEB, Uche Eze, permanent member II, welcomed the delegation and commended the Commission for undertaking a research-based approach to addressing the out-of-school children challenge.
Eze particularly appreciated the decision to share the reports and findings with ENSUBEB, describing reliable data as essential to effective educational planning and intervention.
She assured the delegation of ENSUBEB’s readiness to explore areas of collaboration and partnership that would contribute to the successful implementation of ABEP and expand access to basic education for children and youths who are currently outside the school system.
The Permanent Member extolled the leadership vision of the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, especially his unprecedented investment in basic education through the construction of 267 Smart Green Schools across the state’s 260 political wards.
According to her, the Smart Green Schools initiative has created a strong infrastructure base for the state’s campaign against educational exclusion and provides an opportunity to accommodate more children who are currently outside the school system.
Eze emphasised that the construction of schools must be complemented by deliberate strategies to identify children who are not attending school and bring them into the system.
She noted that the ABEP initiative and the intervention of the National Commission for Nomadic Education were therefore, timely, particularly because they focus on children and youths whose circumstances may have prevented them from benefiting from conventional education.