In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki applauded the government for sharing his decade-old vision for education reform, which he claimed was initiated to resuscitate public education in Kwara State.

Saraki called on other states across the nation to study and emulate the Kwara State model, while also commending his successor, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, for sustaining the model.

"Right now, we must look beyond our political affiliations to address the issues that are important to our people. Other states across the nation should key into the success of the Kwara State model, as the Federal Government has done, to ensure that we not only get our students back in the classroom, but to also improve the quality of their education through strategic and holistic reforms," he said.

Saraki said the policy was aimed at ensuring an improvement in teaching quality across the state and building strong educational institutions through the development of the Ministry of Education, the Teaching Service Commission and the Education Management Information System.

He said, "I commend the Federal Government for adopting and modifying the 'Every Child Counts' programme that we began in Kwara State in 2008 for the entire country. This shows that this administration values such time-tested ideas that leave positive impact on the lives of our people, especially our young children.

"Right now, our nation is suffering from a rising epidemic. We have over 10.5 million out-of-school children across the country. In order to systematically and strategically cut down on this number, we must work to implement the 'Every Child Counts'policy across the country."