Recently, the principal of Federal Government College, Maiduguri, Umar Habeeb Jibril, revealed that only two out of the 89 students offered admission by the school showed up for registration as others stayed away because of a recent increase in school fees. The school which has a carrying capacity of 200 ended up admitting only 89 out of which a negligible two registered as new students.
The Federal Government’s decision to hike the school fees from N45,000 to N100,000 may have put those educational facilities out of the reach of most parents who are finding it difficult to cope with the harsh economic conditions prevalent in the country presently.
This development, in our opinion, is likely to worsen the situation in schools as the nation strives to manage the intolerably low enrolment and high number of out-of-school children.
Available records at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), indicate that there are no fewer than 20 million of such children in the country.
In view of this information, it becomes a challenge to reconcile the government’s effort to increase school enrolment, the drive to reduce the menace of out-of-school children and the hike in school fees. With this new reality, the government is inadvertently making it impossible for parents, especially poor and struggling ones, to send their children to school, any school including those owned by the federal government.
It is sad to note that in the North-east, which comprises Yobe, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Borno states, it is estimated that 33 per cent of its school-age children are out-of-school and that is the highest in the country. Of course, the North-central has 26 per cent; North-west 25 per cent; South-south 24 per cent; South-west 22 per cent and South-east 19 per cent.
A significant number of these children roam the street with some of them ending up as recruits for politicians seeking thugs. More worrisome is the fact that some of these children have been victims of ritual killings even as some end up as easy and willing tools for terrorists.
Without doubt, the government’s decision to jerk up the fees in the face of harsh economic conditions that compelled most households to ration basics like food, in our view, is a further demonstration of the poor ranking of education in the government’s scale of priorities.
There is no contesting the fact that the disclosure by Principal Jibril, is an indictment on the government that should be seen to be doing all it takes to bridge the high number of out-of-school children. It also betrays the major intent for the establishment of the schools in the first place.
We recall that federal government colleges were established to, among other reasons, guarantee national integration among Nigerian children so as to enhance nation building. This, it needs be stated, can only be realized if the children are given the opportunity at an early age to live, learn and play together in an ideal educational environment.
It is important to point out that the first set of federal government colleges-three in all- were established in 1964 and were located in Sokoto for the North; Okposi for the Eastern Region and Warri for the Mid-Western Region.
Subsequently, others were established across the states of the federation in line with the noble objectives of fostering unity. Unfortunately, over the years, these schools have been allowed to rot as they were left in a parlous state with deplorable infrastructure due to poor funding, lack of maintenance and supervision.
Even before the latest hike in fees which has rendered it beyond the reach of average households, concerns have repeatedly been raised about the government’s commitment to sustaining these schools in the face of declining financial and managerial support.
Like most Nigerians, we are dismayed by the news from FGC Maiduguri. That state capital and by implication, Borno state is the epicenter of Boko Haram-a group that is stubbornly against western education.
Government must, as a matter of urgency, review downward the fees for the Unity Colleges so as to bolster enrolment in line with the drive to ensure sustainable education for all. There is no justification for the fee hike and the fact that it has led to a drastic reduction in enrolment at a time efforts ought to be on boosting enrolment underscores the need for a review.
It is disheartening that a government policy is discouraging school enrolment, worst of all, in an environment where there is already a high number of out-of-school children in the midst of a terror group that is leading the charge to discourage western education.
In our considered opinion, governments at all levels, have a responsibility to put in place measures that will encourage enrolment, retention and completion at primary and secondary schools in line with the drive to bolster compulsory basic education.
