Literacy Day: Seadogs call for enforcement of compulsory education policy

The National Association of Seadogs, Sahara Deck Abuja City Centre, has called on government at all levels to enforce the compulsory education policy, to tackle problem of out-of-school children.

Mr Olamide Oni, the association’s head, made the call on Thursday in Abuja at a news conference to commemorate the 2022 International Literacy Day, with the theme: “Transforming Literacy learning Spaces.’’

He said that the association planned to take children off the street by sponsoring their education up to senior secondary school.

Oni said that the gesture was to help reduce the statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), that over 52,000 children were currently out of school in Abuja.

He added that the statistics further showed that out of 40.8 million school aged children in Nigeria, 10.2 million children were estimated to be out of school.

“Right now in Nigeria, the only compulsory education is primary school, but the law is not really being enforced, government must enforce and ensure that every child is in school.

“There is need to put some measures in place to make sure that we do not have street hawkers , kids who are meant to be in school are out selling wares for their parents.

“If there are sanctions for defaulters, I think we can take a lot of kids from the streets.

“The government also needs to invest in education, what goes to our education every year is a paltry sum compared to what we project for the entire running of the country in a year.’’

Oni said the association has been running the ‘Adopt-a-child’ project to address the issue of out of school children within the FCT.

He said the project had adopted Karu orphanage home and donated books, computers and air conditioners to create a conducive learning environment for the kids.

Oni said to mark the 2022 Literacy Day, NAS Sahara Deck opted to donate some reading and writing materials including writing boards for 10 classrooms in Kuje.

He said that the donation was in view of the fact that public schools in the Abuja suburbs lacked adequate learning materials.

“Sahara Deck under my leadership would also engage FCDA and UBEC to increase school enrolment to take more children away from the streets and sponsor them up to senior secondary school of learning. ‘’

Mr Chike Onyia, an official of the association, said citizens must augment government’s effort in providing education because government was not doing enough.

“We are advocating that the government takes up its responsibility as we are also intervening to make sure that these kids are given a better future and the good education they require,’’ he said.

Onyia said that the group was working on establishing a platform where Nigerians could visit and contribute to helping children go to school.

Mr Stanley  Nwankwo, Public Relations Officer of the association, said the adopt a child project was a bold move to take a good number of street kids back to school.

Nwankwo said members of the confraternity contributed to the children’s tuition fees and learning materials.

“As an advocacy organization, we are nudging and urging relevant stakeholders and authorities to actually key in and then do what they ought to do,’’ he added.

Mr Obiekwe Amaechi, an elder member of Sahara Deck, said in spite of high number of births, there was no sustainable plan for their education either by parents or government.

Amaechi said that there was need to put in place a long term solution to the problem.

“We are trying to put up a system that will outlive all of us here, that is the long term solution that we are bringing on board.

“This is because basic education makes a lot of difference in the life of a child and once you miss it at the  primary level you probably will have lost that person’s life and the person becomes useless.

“Part of the issues we are suffering today is as a result of negligence, because we have not done what we were supposed to do in terms of giving basic education to our people.

“Once children drop out, anything negative can happen; so we are trying to put in place a long term sustainable system that will encourage other citizens play complementary roles.’’(NAN)