FG's Alternate School Programme for out-of-school children surfaces in Aba

BY OHUIZU CHUKWUEBUKA/UMUAHIA

The Federal Government Alternate School Programme (ASP), a brain-child of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has finally surfaced in Aba in Abia State.

Dailynews Nigeria reports that ASP got to Aba through a recent selection of hubs on education for affected out-of-school children.

In Aba, the programme came when the Initiative for Grassroots Intervention and Development in Education (IGIDE) a member of the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) was chosen as one of the hubs to ensure that ASP is extended to the Southeast region, precisely in Aba, Abia State.

It would be recalled that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouk had explained that ASP will reduce the number of out-of-school children in the country (OOSC) while providing social protection to them and their families or guardians.

On the impact of ASP in Aba, Mrs Eunice Egbuna, the Executive Director of the Initiative for Grassroots Intervention and Development in Education (IGIDE) said that it is unfortunate that whenever out-of-school children are brought up as a topic, people of the South erroneously think that it is only seen in the North.

Egbuna said that research has shown that Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State has too many out-of-school children, stressing that the issue has been given IGIDE concerns and that it is a thing of joy that the organization was chosen for the ASP programme to help Aba.

“Those kids between 10-15 we see along the railway behind the Nigerian Breweries picking up cartoons, irons and plastics on the road and engaging in all manner of illicit activities due to their exposure to street life are they in school? Are they not from here?

“The problem is that we’ve not taken a proper look at our children except our biological ones. Today in Aba, little children between the age of 13-15 are riding tricycles (Keke) and people are entering for them to drive them to their destinations.

“What are we breeding? Have we all not noticed the increase in the rate of the street and home prostitution by our youngest little girls who currently have no education not skills necessary to survive?

“These little girls can sleep just anybody just to get money to eat. What can ASP do for all of them? Well, ASP is there to provide them with survival skills. It’s both a vocational and academic learning process.

“We’re looking at kids between the ages of 5-12 for primaries and 12-18 vocational education. And the course of acquiring their vocational skills they’re equally acquiring academic education like writing, speaking and other communication skills in the English language that helps them stand the society they’re into.

“The number of out-of-school children in society is equal to the number of street urchins, hoodlums and petty thieves such a society is likely to produce in a near future. A curriculum that will have both academic and vocational learning for out-of-school children.

“This will reduce drug, prostitution and other social vices. It was brought to the centre of the city so that all those street children can be gathered to learn one thing or the other to benefit their lives.

“This programme will bring basic education to them, equip them with the education and necessary skills to be part of the social economy as they mix up with others.

“The feeding process involved with the ASP will ensure that they are provided with adequate nutrition while being trained for a better tomorrow.”

Speaking about IGIDE, Egbuna said, “Our focus is on quality and affordable education to ensure that those who are not in school should be in school. One of the things we did recently is to map out some schools that are not doing well and to find out why they are not doing well.

“In one of our visits, we came to the school of the deaf that’s equally housing the school of craft as well as the domestic centre. We found out that the place has gone moribund and nothing was happening there.

“They don’t have pupils and equipment. We felt that the place should be busy. In the course of our training, we discovered that we had too many out-of-school children in Aba.

“We equally discovered that in the North people have done something to help their situation and we felt that such can also be replicated in Aba. This is the centre of Aba. We started communicating with some organizations.

“IGIDE is a member of CSACEFA and I happen to be the state and South East zonal coordinator when we submitted our report and findings on out-of-school children, IGIDE was selected as one of the hubs by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to tackle the issue of out of school children in Aba.

“They came here, they interviewed us and we showed them the site and they accepted it and have started placing things in place to help out-of-school children here.

“The borehole has been completed, the tent classroom will soon be ready, the toilet will soon be ready, the curriculum is ready and they will equally pay the teachers and equally feed the students and pupils involved because it’s going to be primary and vocational education.”

Egbuna is also of the opinion that the ASP in Aba will bring basic education to the OOSC so that they’re equipped with the education and skills to be part of the social-economy as they grow.

She added that “ASP will also pair the existing Social Investment Programmes to their particular circumstances. For example, with the Home Grown School Feeding, these children will be provided nutrition when they are being educated.”

Egbuna said that children in Aba who are unable to access certain education programmes due to socio-economic factors will have a huge opportunity as well as others others who cannot access social investment programmes will benefit from such as both academic and social welfare needs are provided in the ASP.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.