Children’s Day: Parents, Governments Urged to Invest More on Education

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Children’s Parliament has called on parents to shun false myths on western education, while also calling on government to invest more in education for out-of-school children.

The group noted that despite the Compulsory Free and Universal Basic Education Act of 2004, lack of access to quality, free, safe, uninterrupted and inclusive education for girls remained a big driver of child marriage.

The Children’s Parliament made this known in a communique issued at the end of a-2 day capacity building training for principal officers of State Children’s Parliament and Girl Ambassadors organised by the Save the Children International implementing states of Benue, Borno, Cross River, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Yobe and members of the Child Rights Advocacy Club of GJSS Gwagwalada, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Cross Rivers State Speaker of the Children’s Parliament, Hon. Etukudo Abasi, while speaking at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, said child marriage was both the cause and a result of poor education of girls in Nigeria, with over 10 million out of school children in the country, of which over 60 per cent are girls.
She said, “Despite the Compulsory Free and Universal Basic Education Act of 2004, lack of access to quality, free, safe, uninterrupted and inclusive education for girls remains a big driver of child marriage.”

Abasi noted that while the domestication of the Child Rights Act was a critical step to stop the war on girls, it should also be backed by financial and human resource for its full implementation to provide a favorable environment in which children could realise and release their full potential.

“Over 7000 girls and women were subjected to sexual violence inflicted by non-state armed groups, many of whom gave birth to children.  
“Non-state armed groups have used child marriage as a weapon of war. They kidnap school girls and forcefully marry them off to their soldiers as an incentive,” she said.

Reading the communique at the end of the two days capacity building training, the Speaker of Borno state Children’s Parliament, Hon. Sunoma Ibrahim called on the government and non-governmental organisations         (NGO’s) to campaign against all forms of abuse on children.

The parliament noted that there should be stronger laws against sexual abuse targeted at children to help prevent abuse, while rehabilitation should be provided for affected children and ensure the reporting of cases of abuse.
He said: “Parents should be encouraged to take their children to school and false myths on western education should be shunned; leaders should create an enabling environment for education and government should invest more in education for out-of-school children.

“The quality of education should be improved. Parents need to improve knowledge and commitment to contribute to enrolling their children in school at the right age and time.”

The parliament stressed that security agents should be equipped with tools to protect children from attack, adding that stronger security strategies should be carried out in affected areas.