n Kaduna State, despite the efforts by the successive administration to eradicate the menace of out-of school children, the number keeps growing. For those in school, their number outweighs the standard teacher/pupil ratio. Recent research put the ratio at 80 pupils to one teacher.
At the one-day media parley and stakeholders’ roundtable organised by Partnership for Learning for all in Nigeria (PLANE) programme and Kaduna Basic Education and Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM), to commemorate International Day of Education, tagged: “Promoting Safe and Violence-Free School,” participants brainstormed on the challenges and way out.
The stakeholders at the event, including the media, religious leaders, traditional institution, civil society organisations and officials of the State Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB) took their turn to discuss measures in place to ensure safe school environment and how to improve the measures put in place by the state government.
Stakeholders seek urgent action
The stakeholders established link between unsafe schools, especially in the rural areas, and the growing number out-of-school children and suggested that aside the government’s efforts towards protecting the schools with parameter fencing and introduction of Edu Marshals, the communities must take ownership of the public schools around them as that will further guarantee safety of the schools and pupils.
During the panel session, the stakeholders who expressed concern about the growing number of pupils, who are out of school, called for urgent actions by the Governor Uba Sani-led government to address the menace.
For Mr. Sola Ojo, a media practitioner, allowing the number of out-of-school children to continue growing without check has great negative implications on the security of the state, the North-West region and the entire country.
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