The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, said Friday that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration was committed to combating the problem of out-of-school children and that he did not want any Nigerian to remain illiterate as Nigeria joined the rest of the world in celebrating 2023 International Literacy Day.

Prof Mamman, who said this in capital of Nigeria, Abuja,  at an event to mark the Day, with the theme, “Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies”, noted that the challenges of adult illiteracy and out-of-school children are among the top eight priorities they have drawn and put through at the last executive meeting.

The minister described the problem of out-of-school as a disease that will not be allowed to continue.

“We have the directives from Mr President and we have our own personal resolve to address this matter and, in the weeks ahead, we will be engaging the public on the measures and platforms to address them. We will not allow any obstacle in our way in achieving the goal,” he said.

Regarding the issue of conflicting figures, the minister stated that the most recent estimate of children not in school in the nation is 10.5 million.

This year's ILD, according to Prof. Simon Akpama, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC), offers them yet another opportunity to thoughtfully reconsider the fundamental role literacy plays in fostering peace, societal stability, social and economic reconstruction, and development.

Since 1967, UNESCO has designated one day each year as International Literacy Day to raise awareness of the value of literacy as a matter of human rights and dignity and to advance the literacy agenda in the direction of a more literate and sustainable society.