Since the inception of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, Enugu State has upheld the policy of free education from primary school to Junior Secondary School (JSS 3). Successive governors, including Chimaroke Nnamani, Sullivan Chime, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and now Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, have shown a strong commitment to maintaining this policy, irrespective of the fact that some school administrators use other tricks to collect money from gullible parents in the name of handwork submission. This investment in education is meant to reintegrate children back into school and ensure that the rate of out-of-school children is curbed. According to UNICEF in May 2024, the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria is about 18.3 million, with 7.5% of them from Enugu, while other South Eastern states are Ebonyi 16.7%, Abia 5.6%, Imo 5.1%, and Anambra 2.1%.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In Enugu State, the number of out-of-school children was over 416,000 in 2014 (Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria, 2014), with male children being the majority. On November 3, 2024, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, the Young African Stars Nigeria, a civil society organisation (CSO), in partnership with the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board, ENSUBEB, and the Agency for Mass Education, began an exercise targeted to enrol over 1,000 out-of-school children in four local government areas in Enugu State. This was basically in Nkanu East, Nkanu West, Udi, and Ezeagu. What baffles a sane mind in the state becomes, “What about the urban areas?” According to microtrends.com, the population of Enugu metropolitan residents, which consists of major cities in Enugu North, Enugu South, and Enugu East LGAs, is about 876,000, while the NBS population statistical projection of the whole state as of 2016 is about 4,411,119. This is where the number of out-of-school children poses a serious danger to the residents. In Enugu North Local Government that consists of over 51% of the urban population, the total number of PPSMB-managed public secondary schools is about 9, while primary schools are about 53, which includes all those with various schools inside them. When one goes towards the major markets in the metropolis, such as Holy Ghost/Old Park, Mayor Market, Afor Awkunanaw, New Haven, and New Market between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m., the number of children seen carrying various degrees of items to sell or hawk is astronomical, which brings about the question of why they are not utilising the free education opportunities presented by the Government of Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah.
Just recently, I overheard the council chairman of Enugu North Local Government, Dr. Ibenaku Onoh, discussing with the Chief Executive Officer of Educare, Mr. Alex Onyia, ways of embarking on massive sensitization and programmes to get the kids off the streets and into classrooms. I was full of skepticism as regards the acceptability of this idea by the people it is meant to protect, as it could be counterproductive. Enquiries also show that over 53% of the kids who are not in school in Enugu metropolis are not living with their parents but rather with their guardians and relatives, while some are products of classified child trafficking. If Dr. Ibenaku Onoh and Educare can partner to get many children in Enugu North back to school, it will become a giant stride towards saving our future.
When you go to New Gariki, Old Artisan Markets, New Artisan Market, and some other markets, you will see where lawbreakers are taking advantage of the gullibility of these innocent kids to use them for their illicit businesses. They are now used to trade drugs or even act as informants to criminals because they are given products to sell, which have a way of linking them to the lawbreakers.
However, there is a need for all the stakeholders to join hands to get a lot of children off the streets and into classrooms. Churches that have schools can reduce the fees paid by 70% as members would willingly make donations to save the future of our kids rather than for church projects or unending renovations that exist in most churches in Enugu Metropolis.
Let us curb this now before it gets out of hand.
Tomorrow is here.
Sebastine Okafor Chukwuebuka
Journalist and South East Media and Publicity Administrator, Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV)