FG to prosecute parents for not enrolling children in school | Nairalaw

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu says Nigeria will
soon effect policy to prosecute parents who refused to enroll their
children of school age in schools across the country.

Adamu made this known in Abuja on Monday while addressing
newsmen during the 9th edition of the Weekend Ministerial
briefing.

He said parents who sabotage the efforts of the government at
reducing the number of out of school children would soon be
criminalised and would be made to face the wrath of the law.

“Unless the issue of parents who refused their children going to
school is made a crime, and we start jailing parents, the menace of
out of school children will not be resolved.

“There are many who are still working behind culture,
religion.

“So the ministry is to effect this policy so that any parent
whose child of school age refuses to take them to school will be
jailed,’’ he said.

Speaking on matching grant and other intervention funds for
basic education in Nigeria, the minister said a total of N350
billion had been expended on the sub-sector as against N360 billion
spent by the previous administration.

“In the six years preceding the Buhari Administration, between
2009 and 2014, the Federal Government spent about N360 billion
worth of intervention on Basic Education covering textbooks,
teacher professional development, construction of classrooms and
library resources among others.’’

Adamu added that in 2015, matching and non-conditional grants
disbursements to 15 states of the Federation and the Federal
Capital Territory amounted to N68.4 billion.

He also said that in 2016, grants disbursements to 29 states and
the FCT amounted to N77 billion.

According to him, in 2017 the Federal Government provided a
total of N95billion to 24 states and the FCT, and another N109
billion to 20 states and the FCT.

“During the four year under review, the government of President
Muhammadu Buhari provided a total grant to include, Matching
grants, Educational imbalance fund, Special Educational fund and
Good Performance fund.

“Others are Instructional Materials funds, Teacher Professional
Development fund, as well as Universal Basic Education Commission
(UBEC ) Implementation and Monitoring funds across geo-political
zones as attached.’’

Adamu emphasised that corruption and lack of political will from
State governments were among other reasons responsible for collapse
of basic education across the states.

“Having come to this painful conclusion, the Federal Government
decided to deduct from source, part of the last tranche of the
Paris Club refund from all the states that have not been able to
access their monies from (UBEC).

“If this attitude of deliberate refusal on the part of states to
provide counterpart funding for basic education continues, then the
Federal Government will have no choice than to sustain its strategy
of deducting counterpart funding of states percentage from
source.’’

Adamu added that stakeholders were awaiting the decision of the
Federal Executive Council (FEC) on reduction of matching grants for
state governments.

“We have already submitted proposal on the reduction of matching
grants and we believe between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of the
matching grant will be reduced as against the 50 per cent that
states have been claiming is difficult to provide,’’ he said.