Hot Source* Hosts 33 students to 2 weeks reality house programme
Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
In exploring multiple dimensions towards ending the menace of out-of-school children and poor school enrolment within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) is hosting 33 students to a two-week reality house programme.
The students, who have all been selected from 11 schools in the six area councils within the FCT, will go through a process of advocacy and debate on issues affecting out-of-school children and will proffer solutions to same.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the programme titled ‘2025 head to head school debate’, the mother of the reality house programme, Dr. Jummai Ahmadu, said the programme, which has recorded tremendous success in past editions, will serve as a prototype for state governments to emulate.
According to her, Nigeria should expect strong willed children that will come out to advocate for out-of-school children after the programme and this way, there will gradually be zero out-of-school children in Nigeria beginning from the FCT.
She said: “The children will debate and bring out all the issues that are affecting children not in schools and proffer solutions to how to bring to an end out-of-school menace. This is the crux of this project.
“Due to the impact of the programme last year, the level of enrolment has increased and this means what we are doing is appreciated in communities and people are responding to it.
“We are hoping that beyond the FCT, government can take a cue to ensure that children are the ones advocating the problems that are affecting children like them. If they pass the message to their peers, they will in turn understand because they will understand the language.”
In his address, the Director of FCT-UBEB, Dr. Hassan Sule, said mass enrolment into basic education remains the potent antidote to poverty and insecurity in the nation.
He said with the reality house programme, communities will be further enlightened about the benefits of education through the children addressing their peers in the language they’ll understand, and to be followed with sensitization from the government.
According to Sule, “Our mandate is to ensure that every child in the FCT gets free and compulsory basic education. With this project, the children who know and can identify their peers will be able to inform their teachers, while we send visits to such requisite communities to enlighten them about the free, basic and compulsory education and that it is the right of the child, and not a privilege.
“Therefore, they should give them the opportunity to get this education because it is the bedrock of human and national development.
“Fundamentally, in order to address most of our challenges which involve poverty and insecurity, the best method is to the classroom. Not tackling out-of-school children will mean breeding miscreants and they will transform into bandits. So we want to ensure that every child, no matter the level of disability, is given the opportunity to enroll in our schools.”
The programme ends on August 28.
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