FG to teach sewing skills in government schools to promote Nigerian children – Minister

The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad, has promised to introduce the development of sewing skills in public schools to promote the progress of Nigerian children.

Ahmad said this when the leadership of the Non-Governmental Association of Literacy Support Services (NOGALSS) and the Ladi Memorial Foundation (LMF) paid her a courtesy visit in Abuja on Friday.

The visit was to brief the minister about the upcoming National Sewing Competition for young school children across the country.

The Minister noted the importance of strengthening skills for a child’s growth and development, emphasizing the need for stakeholders to work together in promoting skills development.

“Sewing is practical and easy to implement at the basic level simply because the skills required do not take up too much space and we have enough teachers who can handle it.

“We look at skills not only in sewing, but also in other areas, because sometimes these skills depend on your nature and passion, but there is always a beginning.

“This initiative is one of the initiatives that we can consider scaling up. If we implement initiatives at the federal level without expanding to the state level, the impact will be minimal and virtually insignificant.

“This is because a large number of our students come from the United States. We have to find a way to make sure we carry the states along.” she said.

Ahmad also noted that the ministry is working on a comprehensive strategy to ensure the acquisition of skills at all levels of education, not only at the primary level but also at the tertiary level.

The National Chairman of NOGALSS, Noah Emmanuelurged stakeholders to actively promote skills development at all levels, emphasizing that skills are essential for national economic growth.

“Skills are the most important thing and we must promote them at all costs and in all regions. With skills you can achieve anything, and economically the country will improve.

“Everyone will become an employer of labor, and this will help the country grow. We are committed to making it work, and there is no turning back.” he said.

The National Coordinator of the National Sewing Championship, Rosemary Osikoyasaid the competition, which is in its third phase, will help boost the skills of students across states.

“We want every child in Nigeria to have the opportunity to showcase their talents. It is about what they learned at school and what competencies they have that are ready for the market.

“We need the Federal Ministry of Education to take responsibility for the project and provide incentives to every child in Nigeria,” she said.

Mrs. Lami IsahChairman, Home Economics Teachers Association of Nigeria, FCT Chapter, stressed the need to encourage the teaching of Home Economics at all levels of education.

“Encouraging this subject will help make the children young, and there will be enough teachers to teach it. If we don’t promote this, we risk a teacher shortage for high school students in the future.

“We want JAMB to recognize this issue as a crucial aspect of youth empowerment. By acquiring skills, every young person will become economically independent and potentially an employer of labor.” she said.