Nigeria’s out-of-school children RECENTLY,

the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, disclosed that the number of out-of-school children (OOSC) in the country had dropped from 10.5 million to 8.6 million in the last three years. According to him, “When President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015, UNICEF said out-of-school children in Nigeria were about 10.5 million. But I want to tell Nigerians that with the effort of this president, especially with the school feeding programme, it dropped from 10.5 million to 8.6 million as at last year.” While the difference in figures is understandable, there is nothing to cheer in a single Nigerian child, not to talk of millions of children, being out of school. The current government may have brought the figure down but the disgrace remains monumental.

The problem of OOSC is global as UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS 2014) stated that worldwide, nearly 58 million children of primary school age were not enrolled in school despite global initiatives dedicated to achieving universal primary education. Among these world’s

OOSC, over two-thirds are in Sub-saharan Africa and South and West

Asia.

In finding solutions, experts diagnosed the problems leading to OOSC and attribute the prevalence in Sub-saharan Africa to a variety of supply and demand side barriers. They argue that children’s poor access to education may be occasioned by inadequate number of qualified teachers, materials and schools, particularly for children in remote areas, children living with disabilities, children in IDP camps and ethno-linguistic minorities. On the demand side, they opine that poor demand for education leading to exclusion from school may be driven by misperceptions about the benefits of schooling and or poor quality of education Even so, the assertion of Adamu is doubtful because the source of the figures and their veracity were not made known. The claimed improvement in Nigeria, attributed mainly to the school feeding programme, discounts the efforts of the various states and local governments to promote children education and, therefore, renders the figure even more suspect. For instance, the administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan changed the face of education in Delta State through some educational policies and one of such policies was the Delta Education Marshals (DEM) which has been replicated in some states of the federation. The DEM policy was formulated by the state government then to eradicate ‘street culture’ and create what was called ‘learning culture’. The educational policy was enunciated to support the development of learning in young people of school age in the state. The Edumarshals were given specific mandates which included the detection and prevention of truancy among students; the apprehension of school age child hawking or selling in stores or shops during school hours; maintenance of school hours surveillance and arrest, detention and investigation and/or returning or registering any person of school age found outside school premises during school hours. Other functions of the Edumarshals are the provision of intelligence to relevant ministries, police and stakeholders on any matters relating to a child, to make a child under 18 years of age to attend school or learn a trade (skills acquisition) and to ensure that the streets of Delta State are free of children during school hours.

Similarly, there is the Osun State Education Marshalls, constituted to help curb all forms of indiscipline and moral decadence among pupils and staff of public schools in the State. The Oyo State government’s variant codenamed “Education Monitoring Marshalls” was introduced to raise more disciplined school children as the special tax force is empowered to arrest and discipline students caught wandering out of school premises during school hours, aimed at changing students’ attitude positively towards learning. In a related development, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, while flagging off an advocacy campaign to boost school enrolment for the eastern part of the state in Durbawa village of Wurno Local Government Area, warned that parents in the state would now face appropriate sanctions in accordance with the laws of the state for refusing to send their children to school. Furthermore, some state governments have developed a culture of continuously improving the quality of education from primary to tertiary levels through the provision of state-of-the-art infrastructural facilities, capacity building for teachers and many other programmes to to promote effective teaching and learning in the schools.

So, at the moment in Nigeria and across various levels of government, it is obvious that enrolling OOSC is now seen not only as a moral and legal obligation but a productive investment that is worthwhile, and it is being given attention in line with the 2003 Child Rights Act, which recognises access to basic education as part of the rights of a child. Also, from the interventions by various states, it is obvious that there is no single measure to drive demand for children school enrolment. The solution lies in multi-level interventions and investments in primary education. Therefore, people holding the reins in Nigerians should not speak anecdotally on the issue of OOSC! The country needs serious data gathering to deal with its problems.

Once again, with the aforementioned efforts in the states, the picture of OOSC may not be as bad as the minister painted. But whether it is more or less is not important. Nigeria should strive towards zero tolerance for such a future-damaging phenomenon as out-of- school-children.

SIR: To say that this is a trying period for Nigeria as a nation is to say the obvious. Beside the economic recession which has brought economic hardship on the citizen and the scarcity of petroleum products which has further increased the suffering of the people, sectarian crisis is pushing the nation to the precipice. Boko Haram insurgency has brought the North West of the country on her knees economically, socially and politically for years. Unfortunately, when it appears that the gallant efforts of Nigerian security forces are yielding dividends, the menace of the Fulani herdsmen, cultists and kidnappers are being grappled with in the Middle Belt, the South-south and South Eastern part of the country, with concomitant destruction of lives and properties. January 1, 2018 killings in Benue and River State had brought into fore the precarious situation the nation is security wise. The senseless killing of about 73 Nigerians in Guma and Logo Local Governments in Benue State allegedly by Fulani herdsmen has put the fragile unity of the nation into test, as two states governors are at loggerheads over the domi- cility of the masterminds of the killings. Besides, there is palpable tension in Benue state where the victims of attack were given mass burial by Benue State government. As a matter of fact, nerves were strayed but kudos should be given to Benue elders for preventing reprisal attack on Hausa Fulani living in Benue State. Also, the governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom, has been pointing accusing fingers at the Federal Government and security forces for ignoring his save our soul call each time he smells danger, before the bubble burst. Ortom himself escapes mob action a few days ago from the aggrieved Benue youths who believe that he could not secure their lives.

Beyond this, is the accusation of culpability or deliberate silence on the part of President Muhammadu Buhari over the atrocities of the herdsmen. The accusers believed Buhari being a Fulani is deliberately keeping mute over the atrocities allegedly committed by his kinsmen and shedding them from punishment. One fact that is undeniable is that the President will not pray that the nation corporate existence which he used his younger days to safeguard, and which he always emphasized as being non-negotiable be endangered in his own time or that the edifice should fall on his head. Therefore, his silence should not be interpreted as supporting the dastardly act of the herdsmen. Meanwhile, if one considers the impunity and veracity of the attack of herdsmen on the innocent citizens, one would conclude that they are immune to prosecution or have the backing of the government. Invariably, also, when one considers the swiftness with which the armed forces dealt a blow to the IPOB menace, it would seem as if the herdsmen are given free way to operate.

In view of the above, President Buhari is advised to address the security threat that herdsmen constitute to the corporate existence of this nation.

Meanwhile, Nigerians are advised to be cautious in the way they respond to critical issues which can cause upheaval in the country. Nigeria has witnessed enough blood-shed. We should join hands together to save the nation.