By Sule Aliyu Bauçhi
The Bauchi State House of Assembly(BAHA) is set to pass a bill to reduce a menace of out-of-school children in the state
The assembly expressed worry over the increasing rate of out-of-school children in the state and Nigeria as a whole, stressing that urgent actions must be taken by all relevant authorities.
The Chairman, House Committee on Education, Dr Nasiru Ahmed Ala made the commitment at a two-day Regional Stakeholders Engagement Meeting on addressing the problem of Out-of-School Children, ensuring Retention, Transition and Completion Models in Bauchi, Gombe and Adamawa states held at Emerald Hotel Hall, Gombe.
According to him, the meeting which was a sub-regional one, was very timely considering that the issue of OOSC is the major challenge militating against education in the three states of Adamawa, Bauchi and Gombe.
He stressed that the basic function of the Assembly is lawmaking for good governance as well as oversight functions, saying that in the aspect of lawmaking, it will take the Assembly a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of three weeks to pass into law any bill for good governance and betterment of the people.
He also assured that because the Governor, Sen Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad is concerned and passionate about issues of education, the Assembly will not hesitate to consider the bill on the domestication of the national framework on education in the state.
Speaking on the importance of domesticating the framework in the state, he said, “As an Academic, I always feel bad anytime I hear the issue of OOSC. It is a menace that must be tackled head-on.
“Because of my passion for quality education and being the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, I will ensure that the framework was domesticated and becomes operational in the state,” the Lawmaker representing Chinade/Madara Constituency stressed.
He also assured that having attended the meeting with other colleagues from the three states, they will liase and ensure that the Assemblies consider the framework and domesticate it in the various states for the good of the children.
Speaking during the workshop, Dr. Tushar Rane, the Chief of the Field Office at UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, reaffirmed the organization’s dedication to addressing the high out-of-school children rate and poor learning outcomes, specifically in the northern regions of Nigeria.
Rane underscored the workshop’s significance in presenting models that can assist states in combatting the out-of-school children crisis, improving community engagement and accountability, leveraging innovations and technologies to enhance educational accessibility, and securing funding for initiatives aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children in Bauchi