Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable economic development if it continues to pay lip service to grassroots education of pupils in rural communities.

Founder, Eziokwu Ebubechuwku Foundation, EEF, Mr. Ezeukoh Ebubechukwu, said this while calling on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to revamp and educate rural communities by setting qualitative measures to improve the academic and learnability standards of the rural pupils.

Speaking during the foundation’s second Rural Outreach at St. Aloysius Catholic Primary School, Iloti Itamapako, Ogun State, Ebubechukwu, who expressed concern over the increasing population of out-of-school children in the country, also urged the Federal Government to give priority to the education welfare of pupils in public schools.

He said: “The impact of education in any economy cannot be overemphasised. An educated farmer would have more contribution and more innovative ideas to national growth than one who’s not educated.

“Federal Government should make efforts to revamp the academics of the rural dwellers and also make school fun for rural kids. Government should put in qualitative measures to improve the academics and learnability of these rural children, because educating the rural kids would help to create an enabling environment where the concept of economic development would matter to them and will make them think for generations to come, rather than their immediate needs.”

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The EEF outreach tagged Rural Education Bookdrive, Ebubechukwu said, was part of its contribution to the development of education sector in the country.

He said: “The Foundation was established to offer community services to rural communities, and give academic scholarships to rural kids who are unable to access good education; and scholarships to university students who are unable to return to school. We were able to raise funds for six university students during the 2019 calendar year.

“EEF places a priority on school dropout because we believe helping these set of people back to school will help revive their hopes to attain academic qualifications and curb possible menaces they might cause to the society.”

While noting that education is the cornerstone of developed societies, Ebubechukwu said: “Education is life and investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Education is very important in the life of any child and the foundation takes a keen interest in ensuring that rural community children will not lack the right to education.

“Hence we are putting every effort into providing adequate, sustainable, qualitative and functional education for rural community kids.”

He said the gesture would complement the effort of the state government on education and assist pupils to remain in school to get qualitative education.

He called on the government to take full responsibility for the proper education of rural communities pupils, adding that education was the key to human liberation from poverty and a key to maximising human potentials.

He, however, urged the beneficiaries of the scheme to take good advantage of the programme and become worthy ambassadors in their community and country at large.
He also said the foundation targeted about 400 students and had donated over 2000 copies of notebooks and textbooks, and other education accessories and waste bins to pupils in Ogun State to boost their learning interest.
In his part, the PTA Chairman of the school, Mr. Ogunyomi Babalola, commended the foundation’s effort geared toward providing education welfare to the rural community kids.

Mr. Babalola urged them to continue their good gesture, adding that it would help build a robust society and impact positively on the nation’s economic growth.

Vanguard