The Anambra State Government last Friday said it has established schools in 283 markets across the state.
The State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, stated this during a panel discussion at the ongoing Human Capacity Development conference held at the International Convention Center Awka with the theme: “Changing The Narrative-Towards Entrenching Human Capital Development In South East Nigeria”.
She said the move is one of the measures by the Ministry to curb the incidence of out-of-school children in the state.
According to her, the Ministry, in collaboration with the Children and Women Affairs Ministry, would apprehend out-of-school children in the streets and hand them over to the Ministry of Education for rehabilitation.
She said: “The market schools driven through the Agency of Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education are established as part of efforts to bring back out-of-school youths and give them academic empowerment while engaging in their trade.
“Other measures adopted by the Soludo administration to curb the incidence of out-of-school children include the inter-ministerial collaborations between the Ministries of Education, Children and Women Affairs, and Ministry of Youths.
“The collaborations include the arrangement whereby the Children and Women Affairs Ministry apprehends out-of-school children in the streets and hand them over to the Ministry of Education for rehabilitation.
“A link was also established for the Ministry of Youths to ensure that youths get educationally empowered before going to trade. There is also the special scholarship scheme.”
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the two-day Conference was organised by the State Ministry of Budget and Planning under the supervision of the Ministry Commissioner, Mrs. Chiamaka Nnake. It was declared open by the State governor, Chukwuma Soludo.

A 19-year-old Accounting student of Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) last Friday, Oluwagbemiga Akinseye, emerged as the best-graduating student for the 2021/2022 class at the 13th convocation of the institution.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Olasebikan Fakolujo, who disclosed this during the institution convocation, said the young man with the Cumulative Grade Point Average ( CGPA) of 4.87 emerged the best out of 30 other students who bagged First Class Honours.
Fakolujo explained that the graduating students cut across five colleges of the institutions, saying that a total number of 481 students graduated in the academic session.
He said out of the 481 students, 88 postgraduate students in 15 various fields of study graduated in the academic year.
According to him, 179 students bag Second Class Honours (Upper Division), 210 students are in the category of Second Class Honours ( Lower Division) while 59 students and three students are in the Third Class Honours category and Pass category respectively.
He disclosed that five more academic courses were accredited in the year under review by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Fakolujo said that the university had witnessed tremendous transformation in recent years, asking parents and guardians to bring their children and wards to the school for quality education in all facets of human endeavours.
Speaking on his feat, Akinseye, the best-graduating student in 2021 /2022 Academic in JABU, said his parents are the driving force to achieve emerge as the best student.
According to him, he said he had to put in his best to please his parents who sacrificed so much by paying much money as his school fees.
He said; “My initial motivation was fear. I went to public secondary school school before I gained admission to JABU where I started paying N500,000.00 and I decided to brace up so that I would not lose my parents’ money”.
Akinseye however, said he had plans to go further in his field of study to become a chartered accountant and aim to become a financial expert in the country
Speaking, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, JABU, Pastor Olusegun Oladele, said that the vision of the founding fathers of the institution was to produce intellectuals with spiritual inclination that would impact world positively.
Oladele, who is the President of the Christ Apostolic Church ( CAC), said that JABU was not just a higher institution but a crucible in which men and women of character, integrity and enterprise were formed.
He commended the assiduousness of the institution’s management and staff despite challenges they had faced.

Newly admitted under graduates of Dominican University, Ibadan, have been called upon to embrace skill acquisition to complement the degree they are going to obtain at the University.
The charge was given by the Director-Genera/Chief Executive, Nigeria Film Corporation, Jos, Plateau State, Dr Chidia Maduekwe, while featuring as the matriculation lecturer, during the 6th matriculation ceremony of the University held last Friday.
Speaking on the topic:’Character And Learning:The Imperative For An Entrepreneural Society’, Maduekwe noted that creative and innovative entrepreneurship revolves around personal growth, self-knowledge and the acquisition of new abilities.
“This is what you are being offered today. For Nigeria’s rapid development to happen, which you and I desire, we must embrace the concept of creative and innovative entrepreneurship training and capacity building.
“We must develop strong and positive character and behaviours, bridge all existensial gaps, widen support structures that promote entrepreneurship right from personal right choices we have to make to the levels of institutional engagements, policy framdeworks, implementation, including the provision of appropriate incentives.”
Maduekwe, also advised the newly matriculated to explore numerous opportunities abound in the creative industry, adding that white collar jobs are not really available after graduation.
He urged the students to shun all acts capable of distraction and concentrate fully on their academic activities. Maduekwe noted that only this can guarantee them of graduating with good grades.
While addressing the new students, Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi, told the students to be of good conduct while on campus, saying that the University has zero tolerance for misconduct of any form from students.

He stated that the school authority will not hesitate to dish out necessary sanction to any student found wanting.