Opinion: The Nigerian Child And Education – By DANIEL IGHAKPE
“All children, no matter where they live or what their circumstances,
have the right to quality education.” – UNICEF.
According to data, Nigeria is a ‘country of the young,’ with around 43
per cent (almost half the entire population) currently under the age
of 15. Nevertheless, a survey conducted by the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) indicates that Nigeria has the highest number
of out-of-school children in the world, even though primary education
is officially free and compulsory.
This constitutes a serious problem for the country. Knowing the future
impact of having a population largely filled with uneducated children,
this menace will (if not properly curtailed), reduce the world’s
largest Black nation to a hub of vulnerable children with no access to
quality education.
A good education prepares children to cope successfully with life in
today’s society. It equips them with academic skills, including the
ability to read and write well and to do arithmetic. Moreover, it
affects their interaction with others and helps them build up
wholesome standards of morality. Also, as human society becomes even
more complex, a good education takes on greater importance.
Many people feel that the main purpose of education is to earn money.
Yet, some educated people are unemployed or do not earn enough to meet
basic needs. Some parents may therefore think that it is not
beneficial to send a child to school. But schooling does more than
prepare someone to make money. It equips children for life in general.
However, even for children who attend school, there still exist some
problems that can hinder the child from receiving proper education.
These problems include: overcrowded classrooms which make learning
difficult, absence of suitable learning facilities due to poor
funding, a poorly remunerated and therefore unhappy teaching staff,
and so on. Therefore, it is important that parents take an active
interest in what their children are learning at school. They should
get acquainted with the teachers, especially at the beginning of each
term. They could ask for the teacher’s advice on how the children can
become better students. The teachers may thus feel appreciated and be
motivated to make a greater effort to meet the educational needs of
the children.
Regarding the problem of high number of out-of-school children in
Nigeria, it is important to first of all consider and address the
factors that contribute toward their high number. Such contributory
factors include the acts of terrorism especially in the North-Eastern
part of the country, where the highest number of out-of-school
children are found. As a result of acts of terrorism in that area,
many schools have been destroyed, thousands of teachers have been
killed, and insurgency and acts of terror have dampened the enthusiasm
of children to go to school, and embedded in parents the fear of
sending their wards to school.
Furthermore, economic barriers, as well as socio-cultural norms and
practices have contributed to discouraging attendance in formal
education, especially for the girl child. Poverty, early marriage,
cultural and religious misconceptions or misrepresentations, and
teenage pregnancy also act as barriers to girl child education,
especially in the North.
Parents sometimes send their sons to school but not their daughters.
Perhaps some parents think that it is too expensive to educate their
daughters and believe that girls can be more useful to their mother by
staying at home all day. But illiteracy will handicap a daughter. A
UNICEF publication stated: “Study after study has demonstrated that
providing education for girls is one of the best strategies for
breaking the hold of poverty.” Educated girls are better equipped for
life and make wiser decisions, thus benefiting all in the family.
In some places children are deprived of formal education, and then
handed over to someone to learn a trade. Sometimes these children are
exploited. Learning a trade is a good thing, but they would be more
likely to avoid exploitation if they first received a basic education
and then learned a trade.
Other factors that contribute toward the problem of out-of-school
children include poor implementation of government policies on
education, corruption, unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks,
inadequate funding for the education sector, poor provision of
educational infrastructure at the basic education level, among others.
If these problems, along with the problem of terrorism in the North,
the economic barriers, etc, are addressed, then we may begin to see a
drastic reduction in the high number of out-of-school children in
Nigeria.
Apart from efforts by the government, other sectors of the society
such as the private sector, media, and community, can also help to
reduce the number of out-of-school children in the country. This they
can do by providing aids and grants, building new classroom blocks in
public schools, donating educational infrastructure such as school
furniture, textbooks, libraries, etc. Some private organizations could
even identify some less-privileged out-of-school children, verify
them, and sponsor their education.
Children are one of the greatest assets that we can ever invest in for
our future. So, let us all put hands together to address the menace of
out-of-school children, and help children gain access to quality
education.
Article compiled by: Daniel IGHAKPE (Mr.).
Contact Address: 7th Avenue, ‘O’ Close, House 20, FESTAC Town, Lagos State.
Mobile Phone Number: 0817 479 5742.
