The Nigerian government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, has unveiled the DOTS project to address the pressing issue of out-of-school children in the country.
DOTS is an acronym representing four key components: Data Repository, Out-of-School Children's Education, Teacher Training and Development, and Skill Development and Acquisition.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, announced the launch of the DOTS project, which aims to tackle the lack of coordinated, verifiable, and authentic data in the education sector.
The initiative will enable the government to track students' progress and have a clear data-driven mechanism for interventions, particularly for out-of-school children, girls, and those with specific learning disabilities.
President Tinubu believes that the over 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria represent a group that requires urgent attention, as they could be vulnerable to becoming involved in criminal activities.
The president is committed to ensuring that these children are returned to school and provided with proper education and necessary skills to become self-sufficient and contribute positively to society.
The minister also announced the ground-breaking foundation laying ceremony for new National Examinations Council (NECO) offices in seven states: Nasarawa, Abia, Sokoto, Taraba, Jigawa, Lagos, and Rivers. These new offices are expected to empower NECO to serve the Nigerian people better and contribute to the transformation of the education sector.
