The Federal Government has flagged off the Better Education Service Delivery For All (BESDA) programme in Sokoto, targeting an enrollment figure of 436,570 children who are currently out of school in the state.

Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, who launched the BESDA programme in the state, described the alarming figure of out-of-school children in Sokoto as a sad phenomenon, saying, “I am worried that this commentary is coming out of Sokoto State.”

Nwajiuba, however, said it was gratifying to note that Sokoto State had successfully enrolled 75,000 children in schools out of the 436,570 in the build-up to the launch of BESDA in the state, adding that this was an evidence that this state was taking the challenge seriously.

He said while efforts were being made to reduce the number of out-of-school children to tolerable limits, “more and more children are joining the queue,” maintaining that until these efforts outweigh the birth rates, government efforts will continue to be neutralised.”

Sokoto State governor,  Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, in his keynote address, applauded the efforts of the Federal Government in ensuring that all children across the country that were out-of-school, were brought on board the ship of schools, stating that President Muhammadu Buhari would go down in the annals of history for giving the greatest attention to out-of-school children.

He also commended Buhari for the appointment of Nwajiuba into the Federal Executive Council, saying the minister is a highly detribalised Nigerian who is ready to impacting positively on education in Nigeria and Sokoto State in particular.