NCNE  urges stakeholders to  enrol 3.5m nomadic  children  back to school

From: Femi  Oyelola, Kaduna

The National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) has appealed to its stakeholders to ensure that 3.5 million out of school nomadic  children were enrolled in their schools.

Speaking while declaring open a 3 day workshop in Kaduna on Monday where the NCNE would train 56 nomadic youths on different entrepreneurship skills, Executive Secretary of the NCNE, Prof Bashir Usman told stakeholders that,  ”while commending you in your effort to give quality education to our very- hard -to reach nomads, I urge you to be more determined in ensuring that all out -of school nomadic children totalling 3.5 million are enrolled in our schools.”

Prof. Usman said the workshop for their youths and other participating stakeholders from the states was very apt and timely, adding that “the Commission has at this promising moment taken a leading role in addressing the frightening challenges of nomadism in present day Nigeria.”

Represented by  the NCNE Director of Quality Assurance, Mr Akin Akinyosoye, the NCNE Executive Secretary said it has been established that over 1 billion people were involved in rural menial jobs globally, with more than half of these depend on livestock, agriculture and emerging innovative entrepreneurship skills for livelihoods. 

He said the Commission’s initiative of empowering the youth through skills acquisition and sustainable livelihoods can go a long way in reducing poverty in many societies and reducing social ills. 

According to him, when a youth learns skills, he can use the skills to feed, send his children to school, assist others with employment and even invest for the future.

He said when the youth are empowered through need based skills, their society becomes a good place to live as they would assist in the economic activities of the society where they find themselves and in turn, both families and the entire nation benefit.

In his remarks, Director of Extension Education and Skills Development, Dr Abdu Umar Ardo, in his remarks, said 56 nomadic youths were carefully selected from seven states of the country in order to build their skills based on their needs and their various community needs, for the development of their various communities and the society at large.