The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has said the implementation of pre-primary education and the establishment of Community Based Early Childcare Centre (CBECC) in 16 states has helped reduce the incidences of out-of-school children.

The minister also said funding is central, as a means to effectively develop the education sector.

Mr Adamu said this during the 63rd meeting of the National Council on Education(NCE) ministerial session in Abuja on Monday.

According to the minister, the bane of educational growth and development at all levels is premised on funding.

“Conscious efforts must be made to increase funding of education. The federal government gave 6 per cent of its 2017 budget to education which is far below the UN benchmark,” he said.

He said that agencies in the sector need to take necessary tracking mechanism to guarantee judicious and effective use of funds.

“With a population of over 170 million, 45 per cent of which are below 15 years (UNICEF 2017), the burden on education has become overwhelming on the three tiers of government and resources are spread more thinly translating into creating challenges in ensuring quality education.”

Mr Adamu also said the absence of reliable and realistic data has continued to bedevil the education sector.

“We can no longer afford to underestimate the need to map out coordinated action plans for our institutions to always be on the alert.

Similarly, the minister of state for education, Anthony Anwukah, said adequate funding of the sector underscored the importance of education “as a pivotal tool in ensuring equitable education and lifelong learning.”.

He however said the task of revamping education is a collective effort of all stakeholders.