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Buhari Tasks Govs to Vigorously Enforce Free, Compulsory Basic Education
President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja urged state governors to “enforce very vigorously” free and compulsory basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.
A resolute enforcement of free and compulsory education in the country would mean parents failing to enroll their children in school up to junior secondary school, would be arrested and prosecuted as provided by law.
Under the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act of 2004, it is criminal for parents to fail to send their children to minimum of JSS3.
Section 2(2) of the law says, “Every parent shall ensure that his child or ward attends and completes his – (a) primary school education; and (b) junior secondary school education, by endeavouring to send the child to primary and junior secondary schools.”
Section 4 of the same law says, ”A parent who contravenes section 2 (2) of this Act commits an offence and is liable- (a) on first conviction, to be reprimanded; (b) on second conviction, to a fine of N2,000 or imprisonment for a term of 1 month or to both; and (c) on subsequent conviction, to a fme of N5,000 or imprisonment for a term of 2 months or to both.”
The law derives its stipulations from the constitutional provision for free education for all children in Nigeria.
President Buhari’s remark came months after the education minister, Adamu Adamu, repeatedly warned that the government would begin to prosecute defaulting parents in a bid to reverse the country’s embarrassing huge number of out-of-school children.
Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. The Univeral Basic Education Commission announced in October 2018 that 13.2 million children were not in schools as they should be.
Despite the high numbers, some state governments have yet to take advantage of billions of naira in counterpart funding provided by the federal government for free basic education.
In March, Mr Adamu said parents were “frustrating” the government’s efforts to reverse the shocking figures.
Speaking on matching grant and other intervention funds for basic education in Nigeria, the minister said N350 billion had been expended on the sub-sector by the Buhari administration in four years, while the preceding government spent N360 billion in six years.
“In the six years preceding the Buhari Administration, between 2009 and 2014, the federal government spent about N360 billion worth of intervention on Basic Education covering textbooks, teacher professional development, construction of classrooms and library resources among others.’’
Inaugurating the National Economic Council (NEC) at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, President Buhari reminded the governors that providing free and compulsory education is a constitutional provision.
‘‘Section 18(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended places on all of us here an obligation to eradicate illiteracy and provide free and compulsory education,” presidential spokesperson Femi Adesina quoted the president as saying.
‘‘Section 2 of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act provides that every Government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.
‘‘It is indeed a crime for any parent to keep his child out of school for this period. In my view, when a government fails to provide the schools, teachers and teaching materials necessary for basic education, it is actually aiding and abetting that crime.
‘‘This is, therefore, a call to action. I would like to see every Governor rise from this meeting and rally his local Government Chairmen towards ensuring that our schools offer the right opportunities and provide the needed materials and teachers for basic education, at the minimum.
‘‘If we are able to do this, the benefits will surely manifest themselves,’’ the President said in his 24-paragraph speech at the inaugural session of NEC.
The president told the governors that successes in the four key areas of education, security, health and agriculture would go a long in lifting Nigerians out poverty, and securing the future for sustainable growth and development.
The president also urged the governors to pay special attention to security, health and agriculture in the next four years of this administration.
Premium Times
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
