The Sultan of Sokoto in Northern Nigeria Sa’ad Abubakar on Tuesday expressed the determination of traditional institutions in the North to tackle the problem of out of school children in the region.
The Sultan, who made the commitment in a message to the planning meeting of Northern Traditional Leaders Conference on Out of School Children held in Kaduna,North West of the country said the situation must be reversed because of its serious security implication.
The conference is being put together by UNICEF, Sultan Foundation for Peace and Universal Basic Education Commission.
He noted that the recent upsurge in violence in the country was largely as a result of the existing gaps in education which left many youths without education, hopeless and with nothing to fall back on.
The Sultan, who was represented by the Emir of Argungu, Samaila Mera, said all levels of society must work together to salvage the situation.
He particularly suggested the launch of a special appeal for funds by each Emirate Council in the North to finance education through physical interventions that would galvanise communities and governments to live up to their responsibilities.
Abubakar stressed that there must also be special efforts to aid the Almajiris and orphans to get formal education and chart better future for themselves.
“We should go beyond getting the commitment of the traditional institutions, because they have demonstrated enough commitment, what we need to also do is to get governments and other stakeholders to invest seriously in reversing the ugly situation.’’
Earlier, UNICEF Field Officer, Kaduna, Dr Zakari Adam said the conference is being organised through highest level of collaborations to tackle the problem of out of school children in the Northwest and Northeast.
He noted that statistics by the Federal Ministry of Education had put the number of out of school children in the country at over 10.5 million, representing 60 per cent of out of school children in West Africa.
Adam stressed that the target of the conference is to get commitments of all stakeholders to work towards addressing the menace holistically, involving highest level of collaborations.
Also, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Hamid Bobboyi described the level of out of school children in Nigeria as serious and embarrassing, adding that the nation’s education system must be re-engineered to address the menace.
He said that government must discharge its responsibilities more effectively, just as synergy must be built with other stakeholders, including making and imposing laws to guarantee the education of all children.
Bobboyi stressed the importance of getting communities to get fully involved in all facets of the education process, to engender ownership and commitment.
The executive secretary re-echoed the concern of the Sultan on the linkage between poor education and violence, saying that the conference must energise action to tackle the menace effectively.
“We should be worried about the consequences. When you look at the education indices you know where the next trouble spot is, we must be courageous to face the future.
“Its not just about having a conference, but what happens after that. It’s a rescue mission and it must be executed well.’’
In his comments, UNICEF Chief of Education, Abuja, Terry Durnnian said that the committee should set the tone and direction for the conference, which he described as a conference for change.
“Its a conference for change, action oriented and forward looking. Unless the trend changes, look at the truth and say it as it is and show the determination to change the situation, we will not be making progress.’’
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/07/17/education/12-million-out-of-school-children-in-nigeria-mostly-from-the-north-ango-abdullahi/
