The motion by the Senate that mobile courts be established for trial and imprisonment of parents and guardians refusing to enroll their wards in school may appear to be drastic; but it is a wake-up call to all stakeholders to save the children from a bleak future and save Nigeria from chronic underdevelopment, and all manner of criminality and other social problems emanating from the menace.

Although the intention of the lawmakers appears punitive, their concern underscores the importance of education for the individual and the society. It is a fact that most educated people have more socio-economic opportunities to improve their lives and to become very useful to their societies than people with little or no education; just as societies with high rate of education completion record lower crime level, better overall health and civic involvement.

In many societies, lack of access to education is identified as the root of poverty, hardship and criminality. In Nigeria where poverty, hardship and terrifying crimes, including terrorism, kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery are already endemic, denying children access to educationmay amountto building an army of illiterates that could ultimatelydestroy the country. What this translates into is that developing the individual, through education among others, is key to developing the society.

Interestingly,the National Assembly canvassing the measure is a major stakeholder and a branch of government that not just partakes in, but also approves allocation of national resources for all sectors. The blame for out-of-school children cannot be heaped on the parents and the guardians alone. The governments at all levels that have failed to accord education the priority it deserves are the major culprits.

For decades, the education sector in Nigeria has suffered inadequate funding by the government, with poor enrolment in school being one of the unfortunate consequences.Until government at all levels allocatemore resourcesto education, the country may be building a country of predominantly illiterate people, a recipe for anarchy in years to come.

In the motion sponsored by Idiat Adebule (APC-Lagos West) and titled “Compelling need to tackle the challenge of out-of- school children” in Nigeria put at 20 million by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the lawmaker lamented the number which represents about 10 per cent of the estimatedpopulation of Nigeria and the highest in any country of the world.

“Though the Federal Ministry of Education has disputed the figure, it is generally agreed that whatever the real figures, the issue of out-of-school childrenhas become an albatross on the neck of the Nigerian state that must be dealt withas a matter of urgency,” she told the Senate.

Many of her colleagues, including Adams OshiomholeandDeputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau supported the motion; noting that unless the trend is reversed, it would lead to a dynasty of the poor constituting a risk to the rich and the society.It was equally observed that out-of-school children later become tools for terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes that the country is currently grappling with.

To effectively address the problem of out-of-school children in the country,there is need for a strong and widespread public enlightenment for parents and guardians on the importance of education and the unwholesome consequences of not getting their children educated. They should be adequately educated on how educationcan liberate their children and their families frompoverty, and make them respectable citizens. Apart from threatening themwith court trial and punishment, the parents and guardians, most of them so poor now that they can no longer sponsor their wards in school, should be supported in making education accessible totheir children.

Governments at all levels must demonstrate their appreciation of the place of education in national development by adequately funding the school system. In 1990, the UNESCO recommended that developing nations should give up to 25 per cent of their annual budget to public education. It is sad that about 31 years after, Nigeria’s allocation to the sector, which ought to be the highest among the developing countries, is still less than 10 per cent. Ghana and South Africa, though have not met the recommended 25 per cent by UNESCO, have done remarkablybetter, allocating a maximum 23 per cent and 16.7 per cent respectively.

Nigeria has continued to pay lip service to the UNESCO recommendation whilewasting huge sums of money on frivolous things. Education is a public goodand should be adequately funded to accommodate and sustain policies and programmes designed to boost access to learning. The government shouldprovide free education to every child at least up to the age of nine years.

Indeed, the 1999 Constitution in section 18 enjoins government to ensure “equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels” to all Nigerians; and also to strive to provide free education at all levels. This is not a tall order. In the second Republic, the Unity Party of Nigeria under the control of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo ensured free education in the five states that it then controlled. It is still possible now, perhaps with some adjustments, if only governments at the federal and state levels get their priorities right and do away with grandiose projects that offer little benefits to the masses.

State governments that haveenacted lawscriminalizing the act of keeping children out of school should implement them.But they should first remove all obstacles in the way of the parents, including their lack of capacity to sponsor their children. If the laws are properly enforced, it could lead to increase in enrolment in schools and drastic reduction in the number of children that are out of school.

The president and the state governors should alsoexhibit the political will to tackle the menace. In the Senate, Oshiomhole accused some governors, particularly in the northern part of the country, of sabotaging efforts by the Federal Government to make education accessible to children nationwide, by deliberately refusingto contribute 50 per cent of fund required from them as counterpart funding of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) policy.

Such governors must know that they are destroying the future of these children and have a rethink.Leaders are supposed to be liberators. Pauperising the people, either old or young, for selfish, political or any other gain is unpardonable and unacceptable.Any country that trivializes education is doomed because indeed, education is the bedrock of every good thing in the society. At every point in time, prospects of development are high in countries where education is given its pride of place. Nigeria should be one of such places.