Parents prefer immediate income to skill acquisition by pupils, says Akin-Jimoh

One of the fallouts of the economic recession currently hurting the nation is that parents now prefer their children to work as sales representatives where they earn income than to participate in vocational training.

Executive Secretary, Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF) Nigeria, Mrs. Iwalola Akin-Jimoh who expressed her concern while interacting with reporters at the 2017 stakeholders forum involving some principals, teachers and officials of Lagos State Ministry of Education said findings showed that economic recession has affected most parents in reasoning and perception.

“A lot of them are not able to pay school fees, provide transport fair and lunch money for their wards. Some parents cannot afford to care for their children particularly the girl child. A lot of them are rarely at home because they have to earn income to be able to sustain their families. All these are key issues that recession is bringing about; there is less income, yet children have to go to school.

“Also, we placed some boys and girls in vocational training, we paid for them to be trained but some of them dropped out because their parents insisted that they should go and learn where they would earn income. Some ended up leaving where they are being trained and went to some shops in Lagos Island where they assist in selling and bring money home for their parents.

She continued, “It is that bad. So now, if you have to do a capacity training for young people, apart from paying for the training, you have to look at the income of the families, and be able to support so that the participants can be trained. Some of them hawk after school hours, and unless you support the family, the child would not be available for the vocational and empowerment programme we provide for students.”

The YEF boss deplored increased cases of abuse on the girl child in the process of hawking and trading and appealed to parents to reorientate our young people and change their perception about earning income.