Senate President decries high number of out of school children in Nigeria

The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has expressed concern over what he described as “increasing number of out-of-school children” in the country.

Saraki made the remarks at the opening of “Retreat for Northern Senators Forum” on Tuesday in Katsina.

He said “it is with that eye on the future that I call our attention to an estimated 12 to 15 million children not in school system in the country.

“This situation is not only regrettable, it is a threat to national security.

“We cannot abandon millions of Nigerian children on the trap of ignorance and poverty; we must, therefore, evolve policies that will lead to significant decrease in the number of children out of school.”

The president of the senate, who revealed that the northern region had the least number of private universities in the country, stressed that access to education was a serious challenge in the North.

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He added that “we need to change the game to empower our people to compete on equal terms with the rest of the country and the world.”

In his remarks, Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State, said that the North was not poor but certainly had challenges of leadership.

Masari called for devolution where states and local governments would be given added responsibilities.