The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu who announced the reduction at a recent annual briefing of his ministry in Abuja said that the reduction was through the Federal Government’s Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) initiative.

Speaking in a statement issued to mark the 2020 International Education Day, Princess Orelope Adefulire said the reduction in the number of out-of-school children was a reflection of the importance attached to education by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The Presidential Adviser also commended the Minister of Education, the World Bank and other stakeholders who contributed to the achievement.

The International Day of Education is being marked on Monday 25 January this year.

The day is being marked under the theme ‘Recover and Revitalize Education for the COVID-19 Generation,’ in recognition of the unprecedented disruptions of learning by the pandemic across the world.

Princess Orelope-Adefulire noted that like all other countries, Nigeria has not been spared the negative effect of the pandemic on her educational system.

But she noted that recent decision of the Federal and State Governments to reopen schools is a step in the right direction while appealing to all stakeholders in the educational sector to ensure strict adherence to all protocols fashioned out to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“In this vein, I commend our leaders at the national and sub-national levels for their commitment which has resulted in safe return of our children to schools across the country as well as our teachers for helping to keep our wards safe by ensuring that they adhere to all the necessary protocols to limit the spread of COVID-19,” the presidential aide said.

She also assured that the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Sustainable Development Goals will continue to contribute its own quota as well as support other stakeholders in efforts to achieve Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning for all.

PRNigeria