Alternate School Programme Crucial to Stemming Insecurity
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk argues that providing education for every child is the best way to secure the country. She spoke with Tobi Soniyi. Excerpts:
Let’s talk about the Alternate School Programme.What’s it about? Constitutionally, education is on the concurrent list, meaning the federal, states and local governments can all design and implement education programmes. Though public primary education is mainly the responsibility of the local governments, the requirements are too high for that level, that is why states and the federal government intervene to ensure that this basic need is met. At the federal level, the contribution is made through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) which is a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Education. So, there are efforts at all levels to ensure that we meet the constitutional requirement of getting every child in Nigeria to have access to basic education, which is primary schooling (as a right), and we are making reasonable progress in this. But despite all these efforts the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria are alarming (UBEC estimates them to be above 13 million). Before this crisis gets worse, there needs to be an intervention.
This is where the Alternate School Programme comes in. It is an intervention programme focused on providing education in a flexible way to out-of-school children while also providing them with Social Investment Programme benefits. While there are many programmes from government and in the non-governmental space targeted at OOSC, the ASP is different because it also targets the humanitarian and social challenges faced by the OOSC.
There are many reasons children do not go to school even when the facility is available. For example,their households are unable to afford basic needs, they are pursuing apprenticeships, gender inequalities, social and cultural reasons; they are unable to access school structures etc..
The ASP will bring basic education to these children so that they are equipped with the education and skills to be part of the social-economy as they grow. Every child has the right to education, no matter their circumstances and the ASP will be part of what ensures that for our country’s children. At a minimum these children will be equipped with arithmetic, literacy, basic technology and social studies education.
The ASP will also pair the existing Social Investment Programmes to their particular circumstances, for example, with the Home Grown School Feeding, these children will be provided nutrition when they are being schooled. The programme is co-chaired by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and the Federal Ministry of Education, bringing our mandates together– doing our part to ensure that ‘no one is left behind’.
In what ways is the ASP beneficial to Nigerians?
The ASP will benefit Nigerians in many ways. Directly it will reduce the number of OOSC while providing social protection to them and their families or guardians. The Social Investment Programmes themselves also help the local economies of those who are recipients. Some of these OOSC are loitering around the towns and cities, others are at the markets, some are at the mechanic and spare-parts villages, some are at the motor parks, and many are the Almajiris (many are in Islamic schooling and care, others are just beggars on the streets) who are mainly in the Northern part of our country, etc.
Most of these children are about 10 – 12 years today. In the next 10 years they will be 20 – 22. Already they are vulnerable to risks
including: trafficking of children, stealing children, recruiting children in criminal activities, children on drugs, use of children in cultist activities etc. are consuming many of these children. No Nigerian will admire this or like it for our country. Reducing the number of OOSC will reduce the risks these children are faced with.These are the short to medium term benefits of the ASP.
The long term benefit for Nigerians is that this investment in education coupled with the humanitarian needs of these children being met allows these children to fulfil their potential and be protected as Nigerians. This ability to provide education and social welfare to children is an investment for Nigeria’s future. When we invest in our nation’s children, when we provide them with the ability to be productive members of society – that benefits us all. This ASP is an investment into our collective future.
This is why the President in his wisdom decided to further intensify the education activities reaching these children so that we can be able to mop up as many of these children off the street and inject at least a basic amount of education in their lives to ensure that they either join the formal education system, or they can inclusively participate in nation building appropriately. This marks the birth of the ASP. The ASP by reducing the number of OOSC, will reduce the number of Nigerians subject to these social problems.
Why is this programme different from the other ones?
This programme is different because it is coupled with social welfare elements – it is not an education programme alone, it is not a social protection programme alone – it is a combination aimed at children who need both in order to gain a benefit. There are education programmes that children are not able to access due to socio-economic factors.
Likewise, there are some Social Investment Programmes where the social welfare provided does not cover the educational needs of the children. This programme does both for those children in circumstances that require help in both areas.
How do you intend to choose the beneficiaries?
The children will be chosen from all over the country. Different groups of children unable to access education including those in IDP camps, those in vulnerable conditions, victims of insurgency and social and environmental dislocation, children on the street and in markets etc. It is important to us that no one is left behind and for this purpose we have a Technical Working Group (TWG) with members drawn from across government ministries, international organisations and as civil society organisations. The TWG will go into the field to document and organize these children so that we can systematically intervene. This programme is very important, and as you know ideas are great but the implementation is the most important thing. We are committed to doing this well.
What role is your ministry playing in all this as well as the Education ministry? Also, why is the FMHADMSD involved with the ASP?
Well, the FMHADM&SD is not a specific sectoral ministry as such, it is literally “a jack of all trades and master of none” ministry. The ministry was specifically established to coordinate all poverty eradication activities in Nigeria, facilitate for an effective cooperation between all stake stakeholders in poverty eradication, and ensure the deployment of an effective social safety net system on the poor and vulnerable Nigerians including those that are affected by disasters, mainly to manage the poverty levels in our country at the barest minimum.
So, Out Of School Children are part of the poor and vulnerable, whose management falls under the generic mandate of my ministry. But because education is the sectoral subject matter specialists, we must cooperate very closely with the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure that there are no unnecessary duplications, no wastage of resources, enhanced complementarity and technical effectiveness, and most importantly, to achieve the desired high impacts of the programme.
The programme is jointly chaired by my ministry and the Federal Ministry of Education. The involvement of my ministry is needed for the humanitarian intervention addressing the underlying issues OOSC experience. Due to the circumstances many OOSC are faced with, they are unable to access educational opportunities. Their circumstances – socio-economic, cultural, etc.- determine their level of access. My ministry, which is responsible for humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development provides a means to close some of these gaps to enable these children fulfil their right to education.
As a government, we have individual mandates but we are all united by one purpose – to make Nigeria and Nigerians lives better. This programme will help us make Nigeria better, getting us closer to our UN Sustainable Development Goals and helping to bring 100 million Nigerians on their way out of poverty, as is Mr. President’s goal.
How are you going to implement the ASP?
Well, back in December 2020, after so much preparatory work, stakeholder consultations and intense research & studies on this urgent matter, I submitted a request to Mr President for him to kindly consider and approve the ASP concept and to also kindly approve the establishment of a National Steering Committee (NSC) with all the key stakeholders to be involved for its implementation. In that letter I highlighted the following among others:
That the out of school children syndrome is at the root of so many of the restive challenges we are facing; The alarming high numbers of OOSC in Nigeria which stood at over 13 million; The importance of factoring the issue of these vulnerable children in Mr President’s policy of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.
The requirement in these modern days to urgently get all Nigerians including these vulnerable children to be functional, to effectively communicate and engage with, which makes it necessary for them to acquire minimum literacy, numeracy and skill; That serious effort has to be made to take schooling to the children, as it is increasingly proving difficult for many children to attend formal schools; and
That a survey of children who are not in school revealed that many of them do attend non-formal schools (such as for Quranic Education) but many are found stray in many places including marketplaces, motor parks, superstores, spare parts/ mechanic spots.
Mr President graciously approved the submission and inaugurated the NSC on the 26th January 2021.We had our inaugural meeting on the 15th February 2021 where we even co-opted more stakeholders, including the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, to ensure full participation.
We have also formed and inaugurated a Technical Working Group (TWG) which will serve as the Technical Clearing House for the NSC. They are now fashioning the practical routes that we should follow to quickly go to the field and start the schooling.
The ASP will be implemented across the country in phases. It is important to implement this programme strategically and efficiently. We are all working together to provide this solution for OOSC and ensure that we reach as many as possible.
I want to assure Nigerians that this programme utilises already existing resources. We have learnt lessons from past interventions and along with our partners, we are committed to applying these lessons and bridging the remaining gaps. It is not simply a case of throwing more resources at a problem, but creatively targeting and providing a solution to problems
How do you convince those Nigerians, who feel this will be a waste of resources?
I want to assure Nigerians that this programme utilises already existing resources. We have learnt lessons from past interventions and along with our partners, we are committed to applying these lessons and bridging the remaining gaps. It is not simply a case of throwing more resources at a problem, but creatively targeting and providing a solution to problems.