Increase Education Budget From 8.2 To 26% – Reps

By Oduyemi Odumade

The House of Representatives has been urged to increase the budgetary allocation of the education sector in the 2024 budget, from 8.2% to 26% in compliance with UNESCO recommendations.

The Executive Detector, Fexi Saf Foundation, Mrs Amina Abubakar, made the call during a Walk for Education exercise with school children to create awereness on the problem of out of school children in Nigeria.

She said the NGO is currently collaborating with the Chairman house committee on basic education to push for an increase in the budgetary allocation for the sector.

According to her, Nigeria has more than ten million children that are out of school, which is the highest in the world.

The Special adviser to the Minister of State for Education, Dr Clarice Ojam, stated that the ministry would partner with the NGO to ensure that all out of school children in the country are enrolled into schools.

Dr Ojam disclosed that the Ministry is also planning to bring more than 3 million children back to school by 2024.

One of the school children who participated in the road walk appealed to the government to come to the aid of out of school children.

The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA Mr Inuwa Abdullahi, stated that the agency is planning to establish three digital learning centers in each state of the federation inside public schools without infrastructure.

Edited By Grace Namiji