Northern monarchs vow to increase school enrolment
Northern monarchs yesterday expressed commitment to increasing school enrolment in the region.
They also promised to establish and support the implementation of structured enrolment-driven commitments with clear monitoring mechanisms to ensure children enrolled remain in schools.
They said they would also work with relevant government agencies and community structures to increase funding for improved quality delivery of basic education in their jurisdictions.
The monarchs, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, individually signed an action plan booklet show to their commitment at a two-day Northern Nigeria Traditional Leaders Conference on Out-of-School Children in Kaduna.
A representative of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Malam Bello Kafara, said that governments at all levels must make education a key priority to address the myriad of problems affecting the sector.
He said: “Governments must improve budgetary allocation to the sector and ensure prudent use of resources for any meaningful improvement to take place. There must be a consensus and change of attitude among family and caregivers toward educating their children, particularly in Northern Nigeria.”
He called for the establishment of Northern Nigerian Rapid Response Foundation that would focus on the education of children and youths in the region.
UNICEF Chief of Education Terry Durnnian said government must be pushed to focus attention on educational development.
Convener, Arewa Research and Development Project, Dr. Usman Bugaje, said: “It is only in the North that parents give birth to children and send them to the streets to fend for themselves. Parents must learn to give birth to the number of children they can care for. In this part of the country, children are growing without basic family support which continues to affect the ability of children to get the basic education they need to live productive lives”.