Prominent northern leaders have criticized state and local governments for failing to adequately invest in basic education, leading to a surge in out-of-school children.
Speaking in separate interviews with Sunday Punch, they also pointed to indoctrination and insurgency as contributing factors to the crisis.
According to UNICEF, Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children globally, with 10.2 million and 8.1 million children not attending primary and junior secondary schools, respectively.
House of Representatives member Alhassan Doguwa expressed concern about the state of basic education in the country. While praising the Federal Government’s efforts, he emphasized the need for state governments to take greater responsibility.
He said: “While we have federal agencies of government such as the Universal Basic Education Commission meant to complement the efforts of the state governments; the fact remains that the state governors must be held accountable and responsible for effective basic education administration in Nigeria.
“It is disheartening looking at the state of increasing devastation in our school administration. Lack of proper funding and appropriate attention are the causal factors leading to the menace of out-of-school children, especially in the northern part of Nigeria. In my opinion, and by the principles of the federal democracy that we are operating today; most of the things to do with the administration and sustenance of basic or primary education is a constitutional responsibility of the state and local government.
“We urge the state governments and governors to also discharge their responsibility by their spelt our jurisdiction as an independent tier of government by allowing the local government councils to also function accordingly.”
Doguwa also linked the rise in insecurity to the increasing number of children roaming the streets instead of attending school.
“It’s worthy of note that even the rising spate of insecurity in the North is not unconnected with the issue of children and students dropping out of school and getting absorbed in perpetrating criminal activities,” he added.
The National Assembly has been actively involved in addressing the issue, supporting the Federal Government through legislation and initiatives such as the student loan scheme, school feeding program, and the Almajiri School Commission Bill.
However, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum Chairman Yerima Shettima expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the student loan scheme in addressing the root causes of the problem. Former Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Anthony Sani, added that religious beliefs can also hinder children’s access to Western education.
