Out of school children
By: Ifeoma Henrietta Odum
Every school day more than six million Nigerian children miss school. This figure, from the UNESCO 2021 report; projected to have grown significantly since, represents more than 8% of our entire population.
Picture the total population of countries like Libya, close to 70% of the population of United Arab Emirates and more than half of Jordan’s population so as to better appreciate the mind boggling number of pupils and students who are missing out on a chance to access the education needed to improve their personal development and broaden their future opportunities. This population may never enjoy independence from social services and might have very slim economic prospects when they become adults.
One of the goals of the SDGs is to end poverty in all its form but here in Nigeria, we have more than 6million citizens who are guaranteed to remain in the perpetual cycle of poverty that spans generations because of lack of access to education.
Considering the high level of insecurity witnessed in Nigeria, in few years from now, when these children transition into adulthood, they may contribute to social unrest that would hinder the country’s development because of their unemployment due to lack of education.
No wonder the mortality rate in Nigeria keeps soaring because lack of education equals poor health decisions and poor preventive measures needed for a quality life. In coming years, there may be a high number of terminal illnesses stemming from poor and uninformed health decisions.
How can we guarantee equity, fairness and justice if a huge chunk of our population are made vulnerable to social inequalities? Of course, there will be divisions in the society along educational and economic lines caused by the uneducated populace.
We pay attention to all the things that the educated few are getting wrong but we are missing the point when we do not consider how much we are bleeding when this number of children are not going to school. Every child who misses out on education represents lost potential and talents that could have contributed to the country’s development and progress. Are you still wondering why we are where we are?
Juxtaposed with the other sectors, the N1.79 trillion allocated to education, representing about 8.8% of the total N20.5 trillion budget proposal for 2023 still falls below the 15%-20% recommended by UNESCO.
To the defense and security sectors, 13.4% which is N2.98 trillion was allocated. It may seem justifiable given the spate of attacks wreaked across the nation but if we continue mopping the water on the floor instead of turning the tap off, we would continue to fight the wrong wars.
As a new school year begins in few days and as it coincides with the submission of a new budget proposal, I am hoping that the education sector gets all the much needed attention necessary for it to fight the war against poverty, illiteracy, social injustice, insecurity and high mortality rates.
Let us worry about the underprivileged children within whom might be the answers to all of our challenges as a people.
