Nasarawa To Prosecute Parents Who Fail To Enrol Children In School

Parents who fail to enrol their children in school to acquire a basic education will face prosecution, the state government has warned.

It said the Child Rights Law, domesticated in the state, empowered the appropriate authority to enforce compliance against recalcitrant parents and guardians.

This was revealed by the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr Kassim Mohammed Kassim, during a media briefing in Lafia, the state capital, ahead of the Basic Education Summit with the theme “Revitalising the Future of Basic Education in Nasarawa State: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” slated for December 4.

The SUBEB chairman stated that the move to invoke the enabling legislation has become necessary to address the rising number of out-of-school children in the state.

“Our statistics show that we have a high number of out-of-school children in the state, and the Board desires to make education compulsory and free for every child in Nasarawa State.

“Section 6 of our law makes it mandatory that education must be free and compulsory for all children. We will enforce the law against any parent who fails to enrol their children and wards accordingly,” he vowed.

He disclosed that the state government is implementing measures to address manpower gaps in the primary education sector, noting that arrangements are underway to recruit additional teachers.

He noted that 1,900 qualified teachers who had previously been redeployed to local government administrative offices had already been redeployed back to classrooms.

According to him, an additional 1,000 teachers would be reassigned soon to boost manpower in public schools.

He said the government is also strengthening collaboration with community leaders and other stakeholders to ensure the safety of pupils and protect school infrastructure across primary schools.

He identified vandalism, teacher truancy, substandard school projects, and diversion of instructional materials as major issues confronting basic education in the state.

He disclosed that Governor Abdullahi Sule has approved far-reaching interventions, including the purchase of 30,000 chairs and desks, up from the initial 15,744 chairs and desks approved earlier, to address the furniture shortages.

“His Excellency graciously increased the number to 30,000 — 10,000 per zone — and he will flag off the distribution during the summit,” he said.

He said the board acquired seven minibuses for statewide sensitisation on school enrolment, among other interventions.