President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said it was criminal for parents to keep their children out of school especially in the first nine years of basic education.
President Buhari stated this in his remarks after inaugurating the 2019 to 2023 National Economic Council, NEC at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President who urged the state governors to ensure the enforcement of compulsory basic education in their various states also told them to pay great attention to security, health, education and agriculture so as to guarantee a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.
According to him, “On education, I want to stress in particular the need to take very seriously and enforce very rigorously the statutory provisions on free and compulsory basic education.
Section 18(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended places on all of us here an obligation to eradicate illiteracy and provide free and compulsory education. “Section 2 of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act provides that every Government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.
“It is indeed a crime for any parent to keep his child out of school for this period. In my view, when a government fails to provide the schools, teachers and teaching materials necessary for basic education, it is actually aiding and abetting that crime.
“This is therefore a call to action. I would like to see every Governor rise from this meeting and rally his local Government Chairmen towards ensuring that our schools offer the right opportunities and provide the needed materials and teachers for basic education, at the minimum. If we are able to do this, the benefits will surely manifest themselves.
“Ensuring proper education during the first nine years of schooling means that our children start off their lives with some discipline and education. They will be safeguarded from roaming the streets, and protected from all the evil influences that assail idle hands and idle minds.
“Whatever they choose to do thereafter, children with basic education will be better prepared to learn and to appreciate their own role in society. This will also go a long way in solving our security and other anti-social problems, which are often the manifestations of early delinquency.
“I therefore think every Governor here should make a firm commitment to be personally involved in ensuring that every child of school age actually goes to school throughout the crucial nine years of basic education.” He noted that NEC was established by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999), as amended.
“By virtue of Section 153 and paragraph 18 of the 3rd Schedule to the Constitution, NEC has the mandate to advise the President on economic policy of the country and in particular, co-ordination of the economic planning efforts, and programmes of the three- tiers of Government, “he said.
He noted with satisfaction that during the administration’s first term of office, the Council made very significant progress, holding an unprecedented total of 38 meetings and setting up 10 Ad-Hoc Committees to address various issues of national concern, adding
“In the course of its deliberations, it came up with a total of 173 resolutions, cutting across eight areas, namely; Agriculture and Solid Minerals; Investments Promotion and Industrialization; Monetary and fiscal stability; Infrastructure; Health and Education.” Others he stated were,” Revenue Generation; Security and Support for States.” He said that the resolutions of NEC were designed to energize the various sectors of the Nigerian economy to which the eight areas relate.
Source: Vanguard
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