The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that education is accessible to every child irrespective of socioeconomic class or circumstances as part of efforts to ensure a better and secure future for the children.
Mr. Ibrahim Obajomo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget stated this in his address at a One-Day Training programme organised for Co-ordinators, Supervisors and Field Officers on the Out-of-School Children Survey, adding the data that would be generated from the exercise will be beneficial in returning out-of-children in Lagos to the classroom.
He maintained that the policy of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration is that no child must be left behind and that no child should be denied the right to education across the State.
In his words: “Lack of finance and other sociocultural factors are some of the reasons some of our children are out of school. Hence the need for this survey so we can effectively plan and activate programmes that will take our children back to school. We do not want them to become a problem to themselves and society at large. Thus, as you all go out there and conduct this survey, it will in the long run help to tell us about each constituency, ward and the challenges they face”.
“Please do your due diligence. When you talk about data, every piece of it is essential, and every detail gathered is instrumental to planning. We have seen the challenges and there is light at the end of the tunnel. We want to put our children back to school and the data will let us know the numbers and this will also help in policy formulation geared towards education in the State”, Obajomo said.
The Permanent Secretary informed the survey officers that the exercise will be rigorous, advising that they must however ensure that the data collected accurately reflects the challenges faced by those surveyed.
The One-Day training for survey officers is targeted at children who are unable to continue with schooling at one point or the other as well as those who have never enrolled for formal school education in Lagos State.
The Survey, which is slated to commence on Tuesday, the 20th of December, 2022, will be conducted in all the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs across Lagos State and will focus on Households, Streets, Market Places, Car Parks, Rehabilitation Homes, Orphanages and other Institutions.
