Rights  group laments government’s inability to meet basic education goals

A non-governmental organisation, Foundation for Education and Students Rights (FESRT) has frowned at the Federal Government’s inability to meet the basic education goals promised its citizens, saying this was responsible for the high level of illiteracy and poverty in the land.

President of the group, Dr. Ralph Inyinbor in a chat with The Guardian on the state of education in the country noted that  basic education provides students with the opportunity to become responsible and respectful global citizens, as well as contribute meaningfully to their immediate and larger societies,

He therefore charged all and sundry to get involved in the education of the Nigerian child so as to move the nation forward.

Inyinbor reminded  that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) law stipulates a nine-year formal schooling, adult literacy and non-formal education, skill acquisition programmes as well as the education of special groups such as nomads and migrants, girl child and women, Almajiri, street children and disabled people.

“It also canvassed for the success of the first nine years of schooling. Six years of primary school education and three years of junior secondary school education, culminating in nine years of uninterrupted schooling.
Sadly,  in Nigeria today Inyinbor lamented that cases of out-of-school children are on the increase.

Besides, he stated that there is a wide gap in girl-child education, high number of people dropping out of school and a system of education that does not prepare students for the world of work.

He said, “we have travelled to the 36 states of the federation to look deep into issues affecting education and we discovered that government is still far from achieving the basic education requirements.

“In Enugu State for instance, children still travel miles to access education and some of them carry seats from home to school. This is even more rampant in the North. And these are states where most of the highly placed Nigerians come from. The implication is high level of illiteracy and abject poverty, until these two major problems are addressed, issues of ethnic and religious crisis, as well as gender inequality would persist,” Inyinbor said.

He further deplored the increased cases of neglect and decadence among our youths who have abandoned schooling  for the streets. To address this trend, Inyinbor called on the government to engage private agents or agencies in school’s supervision; resuscitate guidance and counseling units in all schools as well as encourage individuals with financial muscles to partner them in development.