RN47062023

STORY

Nigerian Parents Forum has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevail on the Federal Ministry of Education to reverse the over 100% increment on fees paid by Students in Federal Government Colleges or Unity Schools. The group described the increment as arbitrary, insensitive, ill-timed, and inconsistent with President Tinubu’s promise of welfare programmes to help Nigerian parents cope with the economic challenges posed by fuel subsidy removal in the country.

Disclosing this in a statement, the National Coordinator of the Forum, Mr Monday Eze, who stated this while interacting with journalists further talked about the lack of qualified teachers, hostels, classrooms, science and technical workshops in the six Federal Science and Technical Colleges established in the six geopolitical zones in 2021.

Source: franktalknow.com

SENSES (Child Safeguarding and Protection Principle):

The Education system in Nigeria has sadly become a shadow of itself.

Though primary education is meant to be free and compulsory by the combined provisions of Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Universal Basic Education Act, approximately 18 million children aged between 5 and 14 years old are out of school, according to UNESCO. A little wonder, UNICEF has reported that one in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria.

According to the 2018 Nigeria Living Standards Survey, 46.4% of Nigerians are poor and 53% of families are living on less than US$1.90 a day. Education is low on the list of priorities for some households due to limited income to support even their basic needs.

A lot of Nigerian families struggle to earn a living coupled with the high cost of livelihood. Parents who have the means send their children to private schools. Those who do not either send them to public school or leave them at home, which are in all ramifications schools are poorly equipped

It is quite sad that with all these issues, the Federal Ministry of Education would decide to implement a 100 percent increment on fees paid by Students in Federal Government Colleges or Unity schools.  

STONE: (Call to action):

The primary aim of government as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the welfare and security of the people. People here include our precious children.

As a Child-Focused organization, we call on the Federal Government to listen to the pleas of the Nigerian Parents Forum. Further, we are urging the newly inaugurated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make the education and protection of our precious children a priority in his administration.

In the words of Dr. Nelson Mandela, our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken the nation.

We must make it a priority to create a world fit for our children to thrive and excel.