Out-of-School Children: Varsity Dons Identify Poor Policy, Budget Implementation as Major Causes

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

A staff member of the Department of Political Science and International Studies from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Dr. Idris Saminu, has identified Nigeria’s poor policy implementation and budgeting system as the untackled challenges that have continued to impede on success of taking children off the streets and into the classrooms.

Speaking yesterday at a stakeholders’ workshop themed: “Bridging the gap: Empowering locals through technological innovation in educationally disadvantaged communities in northern Nigeria”, Saminu emphasised that the budgeting system which is fundamentally faulty usually fails at the point of allocation of funds which is subject to a time frame.

In the three-day programme, which is in collaboration with the University of London through its School of Oriental and African Studies, and the Department of Political Science in ABU, Zaria, and which is targeted at finding solutions to how technological innovations can bridge the gap in fragile and conflict affected places, as well as to engage the vulnerable towards acquiring access to education.

Saminu advised that when designing policies, all parts and stakeholders must be brought together, so as to produce tangible results.

He said: “Most of the things we keep talking about were actually made known to the policy makers. One thing that is fundamental is the policy making system in Nigeria. The budgeting system is fundamentally faulty. Sometimes, when there’s a proposal, the media will capture it and many Nigerians will believe that it has already been allocated, while in reality, it is not so.

“When you’re designing policy, you have to ensure that all parts are brought together. With this in place, tangible reports can be produced. But the policy and budgeting system of Nigeria isn’t like that. When the timeframe for the policy and budget does not correlate, the aim is usually defeated. So there’s a fundamental problem with the policy system. The numbers are there and we know a lot of children are out of school, but all the policies they are creating thinking they will ameliorate the challenges were not achieving the objective.”

On his own part, convenor of the programme and lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies- University of London, Dr. Folahanmi Aina, said government, through legislation can create policies that can bridge the gaps- while noting that with this in place, parents can be held accountable towards ensuring that they play their own part. 

Revealing that the partnership is a pilot grant, Aina while lamenting on Nigeria’s first position in the percentage and number of out-of-school children globally which has been pegged at 50 million, and with 11 million from Nigeria, particularly in the northern region, emphasised that sometimes even when the parents are willing to send their children and wards to school, the environment is not just secured, hence the call on the government to provide an enabling environment.

According to him,  “Across the world, there are 50 million out-of-school children and in northern Nigeria, there is significant amount of these children who can be found in this region. Out of this amount is 11 million out of school children, representing 22 percent. Out of this number, northern Nigeria has the highest number, and there’s a particular attention on northern Nigeria and the need to draw more insight and attention on this matter so that the federal government and the society can begin to look for way to bridge these gaps and help the vulnerable communities to have the kind of education that they deserve.

“When you look at every society at the national and sub national levels, government has the responsibility to create an enabling environment. Government always has the role to set the agenda and if government is not on board, it becomes difficult to convince people on the imperativeness of the solutions that the problems so demand especially in fragile and conflict affected places.

“Government through legislation can create policies that also bridge these gaps. With this parents can be held accountable towards ensuring that they play their own part.  Sometimes even when the patents are willing, the environment is not just secured, hence the call on the government to provide an enabling environment.”