FCTA Records 15,000 Enrollment in Mass Education

By: Wisdom Acka

More than fifteen thousand students have been enrolled by the FCT Agency for Mass Education in the 2022/2023 academic session.

This was disclosed during commemoration of International Literacy Day in Abuja on Friday.

Addressing journalists during a press briefing organized as part of activities lined up to celebrate the day, Acting Secretary of the Education Secretariat, Abdulrazaq Leramoh, stated that the Secretariat has put in place programmes to encourage participation in the subsector.

He stated that non-formal education and skill acquisition programme for adults and out of school children were part of the encouraging activities.

The Acting Secretary further explained that the Federal Capital Territory has put in place a robust platform that allows for both formal and informal education activities to hold within the same facilities and simultaneously.

Director, Department of Mass Education, Hajiya Titilayo Alayande, while reiterating the importance of mass education in her remarks stated that her department has recorded huge achievements including improvement of its ICT centres; adding that some of them would host the JAMB CBT next year.

Alayande stated that, with the widening of scope of education programme in the department, the number of out of school children in the communities would continue to decline over time.

On his part, Director, Secondary Education Board, Dr. Ladan Sani, stated that the Administration was moving away from the old system of education, which solely relied on cramming and certificate.

He expressed optimism that with introduction of the “No Kid Should Leave School Without Skill Initiative”, solving unemployment challenges could be achieved with the well equipped facilities at the remodelling centres to reduce overdependence on certification.

While appreciating the Education Secretariat, especially the department of mass education for promoting literacy programmes in the FCT, National President, Nigerian Non-Governmental Association For Literacy Support Services (NOGALSS ), Noah Emmanuel, appealed for autonomy for the department.

According to him, the autonomy would enable it to better respond to the dynamics of mass education in the FCT.