Billy Graham Abel, Yola

The Legal Defense and Assistance Project (LADEP) has explained to media practitioners in Adamawa that the Universal Basic Education ACT has sections that stipulates jail term or fine or both, for parents who fail to avail their wards for basic education in Nigeria and that head of public schools who collect school fees could also be jailed, as it contravenes the UBE ACT.

LADEP explained that it has secured a judgement that has made it a law for every child in Nigeria to obtain a quality compulsory basic education and that the media has a responsibility to put pressure on the government to implement the act in states.

This was made known at a one-day media parley organised by LADEP and Malala Fund in Yola, Adamawa state.

The project officer of LADEP, Sa’adatu Umar, explained that the implementation of the ACT will curb the number of millions of out of school children in the country and would go a long way in repositioning especially the girl child to contribute her quota in the development of her community.

Speaking at the media parley, Umar told Daily Sun that the aim of the media parley was to reinvigorate the fight for the implementation of basic education for the Nigerian child with a specific focus on some key states including Adamawa.

Sa’adatu said: ‘Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) in partnership with Malala Fund, is holding this one-day media parley on the right of every child in the state to free and compulsory basic education as enshrined in the Universal Basic Education Act.

‘The media parley is in line with the project titled ‘Promoting Basic Education Rights of the Girl Child in Nigeria’ which is aimed at ensuring that state governments take appropriate action to promote free and quality basic education for all, especially the girl child.

‘This is coming after the 2017 groundbreaking judgment which LEDAP obtained in the case of LEDAP v Federal Ministry of Education & Anor which made the right to free, compulsory and universal basic education an enforceable and justiciable human right.

‘The judgment also affirms that every Nigerian child has the constitutional right to free and quality basic education.’

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She added that: ‘In Nigeria today, over 13 million children are out of school.

‘We have identified 2000 girls and 900 boys who are out of school in Adamawa state and are working to ensure that the children are back to school after the COVID-19 pandemic which is currently ravaging the world, Nigeria included.

‘With the implementation of the right to basic education and strict compliance with the provisions of the Universal Basic Education Act, every child in Adamawa state will have access to free, basic and quality education and will contribute positively to national development.’

Also speaking to Daily Sun, the resource person for the media parley, Evaristus Odo said, ‘the essence of the media parley is to interact with media practitioners in order to familiarise them with some important provisions of the UBE ACT because the ACT made very important provisions that have not been implemented on child education.

‘Media as the fourth realm of the estate and the conscience of the nation has a very important role to play by putting government on its toes to take to its responsibility of not only providing free basic education but also that it is compulsory by the law.

‘The ACT has also criminalised the collection of school fees in schools and that parents, school management and the government are culpable in the failure to provide these to children in Nigeria and legal action could be taken which might lead to jail term or fine or both.

‘This has been in the laws since 1999 but it is sad to say we have not seen serious action taken on it in Nigeria yet.’

He challenged practitioners to use their medium to press home the critical need for basic education for children especially the girl-child and to demand compliance and full implementation of the UBE ACT in order to give every child in Nigeria a chance whether in public or private school.

The speaker commended the Adamawa state government for its declaration of free basic education in the state saying, ‘we hope this will lead to improvements in quality of education in the state and government officials would be seen to be working to ensure that the gains of the declaration are applicable to all in the state.’