Reduce Number Of Out-Of-School Children — LEDAP Tells Kaduna Govt
By: Femi Mustapha
Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) has urged the Kaduna state government not to lose sight of the overarching goal of reducing the number of out-of-school children in
the State
The Programme Director of LEDAP, Pamela Okoroigwe asserted this while addressing the media during a parley held in Kaduna yesterday.
Okoroigwe, represented by the Kaduna State Coordinator of LEDAP Michael Abboh, noted that there is a need to do more to increase enrolment and retention of children in schools, especially the girl child.
LEDAP reckons that even though the State Government banned hawking as a measure of getting children of school age off the streets and charged the Education Marshals with the mandate of reducing truancy, there is a need for further steps to evaluate the effectiveness of the volunteer marshals, strengthen their mandate to discharge their duties.
Okoroigwe lamented that children in 4 Northern states constituted over 13,5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria.
According to her, this is due to barriers such as the poor implementation of education laws, as the UBE Act, insecurity and conflict situations, socio-cultural and religious dispositions, and funding challenges,
Recognizing the barriers to education in Nigeria, including but not limited to poor
implementation of education laws, such as the UBE Act, insecurity and conflict situations, socio-cultural awareness and religious dispositions, and funding challenges.
“LEDAP With support from Malala Foundation flagged off campaign on the right to free, safe, compulsory and quality basic education in its project states to develop guidelines for implementing the UBE Act at state level”
In her Presentations, Barrister Laura Bismark said the media, as the watchdog of society, needs to do more in the area of schoolchildren, especially girls.
She said Education should be moved from section 2 to section 4 of the Nigerians Constitution to make it fundamental rights.
Similarly, the State Coordinator of LEDAP Michael Aboh stressed that the media are partners in the campaign to increase school enrolment and infrastructure development.
