TakingITGlobal - Panorama - The Nigerian...

Published on: Feb 3, 2009

Topic:

Type: Opinions

https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=24221

Though education is an enabling right of every human, which open doors to other rights. Unfortunately, in Nigeria children (orphaned and vulnerable children-disabled children) are the hardest hit in terms of deprivation of their right to quality universal basic education. Despite its recognition as a pivotal for national development, governments at various levels of governance have continually ignored the importance of quality education in the life of the Nigerian child and the community as a whole. As it is today, various evidence has shown that lack of and inadequate access to basic quality education exposes individuals to greater risk of poverty and ill-health.
In Nigeria, the 2003 Child Rights Act signed into law by the federal government is to see to the protection of the rights of the Nigerian child irrespective of physical or/and mental functions. The article 1 which is about Right to life encourages government to develop policies and programmes for child survival, protection and development. This is fully backed by Article 7 and 8 which ensures that the Nigerian child’s right to quality education and good health care is protected. It clearly stated that government should make basic education compulsory and free for all, as well as encourage equal access to education for all section of the society including children with disability.
According to the former Governor Bank of England-Lord George, “Education is the absolute foundation of social and economic progress, not just for the children involved but for our whole national and global community, therefore it makes good economic sense for governments to invest in basic education.” If the word of Lord Geroge makes sense to the global community, then our children‘s access to quality education should be a top priority. The nation must ensure their accessibility to quality education, and not make them to suffer unduly and unwarrantedly from problems created by the older generation.
Although Nigeria has a national policy on education since 1981, which recognizes equal educational opportunities for all citizens, but like many African countries with same recognitions of the educational policy, its implementation has neither been effective nor result oriented in terms of service delivery, as a result of rapid population growth, insufficient political will, undemocratic governance, poor management of scarce resources and changes in education administration and style. For example it is saddening to see that the 2007 state of the world’s annual report on the conditions of children worldwide by UNICEF titled women and children the double dividend of gender equality, shows starkly in figures what harm gender inequality (as related to education) is doing to children and how it is also hindering the realization of the MDGs.
The girl child and the disabled children in most cases are more likely to be out of school. (For every 100 boys out of school, more girls are likely to be out of school). These girls and the disabled children are more prone to encounter more problems as they grow. Avoidable problems face them on a daily basis as result of their lack of access to at least quality basic education; They face daily genital mutilation, child marriage (child- mother and other problems related to early child birth), sexual abuse, exploitation (exposing them to reproductive and sexual infections including HIV/AIDS) and child trafficking etc thereby retarding developmental progress in our community. This has resulted in governments diverting budgetary allowances which could have been used for other developmental into solving problems that could have been solved tangibly by education.We,as parents must ensure that our children attend school, and encourage government to wake up to their responsibilities. By holding them accountable for every penny allocated, spent and unspent.
Even the child rights act signed into law by the federal governments of Nigeria is yet to be fully functional, also the implementation and enforcement of the CRA in the states of the federation is slowly functional, and the contents of the CRA has not been made known to majority of the populace, so as to know what constitutes an offence and the punishment involved in the developmental training of the Nigerian child. The judicial arm of government as well as the police force is yet to be fully conscientised on the CRA, making enforcement and implementation of the CRA difficult. Though signed into law by less than twelve states of the federation (out of thirty six states!), its proper implementation and functionality remained to be seen in the face of aforementioned challenges. Perhaps the federal government of Nigeria should make it mandatory for all states to domesticate, enforce and implement the CRA in their various states.

We, as citizens of Nigeria must demand for quality education for our children, and teach them how to safeguard their present and future by empowering them on self sufficiency, self reliance and rights protection and claims. It will help them to demand from the government what rightly belongs to them and rebuff all attempts of our leaders and their accomplices abroad to enrich themselves and embezzle resources meant for the present and future generations.
Nigerian leaders, community members must endevour to make education of our children a developmental policy, especially because of the critical role education plays in any national and individual development. Leaders must wake to their responsibility by ensuring strict fiscal discipline, accountability and transparency in budgetary allocation to the education sector, and respect the UNESCO adoption of 26% minimum allocation to education by developing nations, as well as the Universal declaration on Human rights and the International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights(ICESCR),all of which made it incumbent on nations of the world(including Nigeria),to make education available and accessible to everyone on the basis of equality.
The very stringent reasons and measures of the world financial institutions (IMF, WB etc) to lend money to Nigeria does not help the nation either. Even in the western nations where private education is encouraged and practiced, their government does not dream of cutting their expenditure on such vital public institutions. Such cuttings negates the world declaration on education for all (EFA) adopted by over 160 countries including Nigeria and many other African nations. If it was agreed at such conventions and many other education declarations that education no doubt liberates and assists individuals to develop their potentials and become better individuals, then there is the need for more spending on education in Nigeria, with improved curriculum suitable to our cultural and ancestral background and the future needs of our nation. Nigeria must decides the future of its children through the improvement of its educational sector,withouth undue and unfair interference of the likes of IMF and world bank. Development agencies interested in the nation’s development should be encouraged and partnered to invest in education.
Governments at all level must also give priority to special education of special children whose education should as a matter of urgency be made a developmental policy. Nigeria Leaders must wake to their responsibility by ensuring strict fiscal discipline, accountability and transparency in budgetary allocation to the education sector, and respect the UNESCO adoption of 26% minimum allocation to education by developing nations, as well as the Universal declaration on Human rights and the International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights(ICESCR),all of which made it incumbent on nations of the world(including Nigeria),to make education available and accessible to everyone on the basis of equality.

Endowed with so much natural and human resources (including the Nigerian child), our nation Nigeria would be a better place only if there is an increase in investment on education of our children. The success story of some Asian Nations that used to be “developing nation”, but now are developed nations should be an eye opener for our nation. Having all Nigerian children in school could save hundreds of thousands of lives per day. We must realize that unless education is given a central place in resource allocation, the nation may be left behind in achieving the objectives of Education For All Goals and the MDGs. Until and unless the Goal 2 of the MDGs is achieved as the minimum option on quality education provision for the Nigerian child, the future our nation may be in danger.

As we mark this year’s Nigerian children’s day celebration, we must seek answers that address these challenges. We must focus on our children and ensure their voices are heard, their needs met and their fundamental rights protected.
One clear message though is; an investment in the future of our children, irrespective of their physical ability/disability is a fundamental to achieving MDGs and other developmental options, and must start today with them. For the surest way to a better society is through the hope enkindled in children’s eye.

Fatoki Taiye Timmy
(Member, UN Youth Task Force on Climatic Change)

« return.



by fatoki taiye timmy
Published on: Feb 3, 2009
Topic:
Type: Opinions
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=24221


Though education is an enabling right of every human, which open doors to other rights. Unfortunately, in Nigeria children (orphaned and vulnerable children-disabled children) are the hardest hit in terms of deprivation of their right to quality universal basic education. Despite its recognition as a pivotal for national development, governments at various levels of governance have continually ignored the importance of quality education in the life of the Nigerian child and the community as a whole. As it is today, various evidence has shown that lack of and inadequate access to basic quality education exposes individuals to greater risk of poverty and ill-health. In Nigeria, the 2003 Child Rights Act signed into law by the federal government is to see to the protection of the rights of the Nigerian child irrespective of physical or/and mental functions. The article 1 which is about Right to life encourages government to develop policies and programmes for child survival, protection and development. This is fully backed by Article 7 and 8 which ensures that the Nigerian child’s right to quality education and good health care is protected. It clearly stated that government should make basic education compulsory and free for all, as well as encourage equal access to education for all section of the society including children with disability. According to the former Governor Bank of England-Lord George, “Education is the absolute foundation of social and economic progress, not just for the children involved but for our whole national and global community, therefore it makes good economic sense for governments to invest in basic education.” If the word of Lord Geroge makes sense to the global community, then our children‘s access to quality education should be a top priority. The nation must ensure their accessibility to quality education, and not make them to suffer unduly and unwarrantedly from problems created by the older generation. Although Nigeria has a national policy on education since 1981, which recognizes equal educational opportunities for all citizens, but like many African countries with same recognitions of the educational policy, its implementation has neither been effective nor result oriented in terms of service delivery, as a result of rapid population growth, insufficient political will, undemocratic governance, poor management of scarce resources and changes in education administration and style. For example it is saddening to see that the 2007 state of the world’s annual report on the conditions of children worldwide by UNICEF titled women and children the double dividend of gender equality, shows starkly in figures what harm gender inequality (as related to education) is doing to children and how it is also hindering the realization of the MDGs. The girl child and the disabled children in most cases are more likely to be out of school. (For every 100 boys out of school, more girls are likely to be out of school). These girls and the disabled children are more prone to encounter more problems as they grow. Avoidable problems face them on a daily basis as result of their lack of access to at least quality basic education; They face daily genital mutilation, child marriage (child- mother and other problems related to early child birth), sexual abuse, exploitation (exposing them to reproductive and sexual infections including HIV/AIDS) and child trafficking etc thereby retarding developmental progress in our community. This has resulted in governments diverting budgetary allowances which could have been used for other developmental into solving problems that could have been solved tangibly by education.We,as parents must ensure that our children attend school, and encourage government to wake up to their responsibilities. By holding them accountable for every penny allocated, spent and unspent. Even the child rights act signed into law by the federal governments of Nigeria is yet to be fully functional, also the implementation and enforcement of the CRA in the states of the federation is slowly functional, and the contents of the CRA has not been made known to majority of the populace, so as to know what constitutes an offence and the punishment involved in the developmental training of the Nigerian child. The judicial arm of government as well as the police force is yet to be fully conscientised on the CRA, making enforcement and implementation of the CRA difficult. Though signed into law by less than twelve states of the federation (out of thirty six states!), its proper implementation and functionality remained to be seen in the face of aforementioned challenges. Perhaps the federal government of Nigeria should make it mandatory for all states to domesticate, enforce and implement the CRA in their various states. We, as citizens of Nigeria must demand for quality education for our children, and teach them how to safeguard their present and future by empowering them on self sufficiency, self reliance and rights protection and claims. It will help them to demand from the government what rightly belongs to them and rebuff all attempts of our leaders and their accomplices abroad to enrich themselves and embezzle resources meant for the present and future generations. Nigerian leaders, community members must endevour to make education of our children a developmental policy, especially because of the critical role education plays in any national and individual development. Leaders must wake to their responsibility by ensuring strict fiscal discipline, accountability and transparency in budgetary allocation to the education sector, and respect the UNESCO adoption of 26% minimum allocation to education by developing nations, as well as the Universal declaration on Human rights and the International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights(ICESCR),all of which made it incumbent on nations of the world(including Nigeria),to make education available and accessible to everyone on the basis of equality. The very stringent reasons and measures of the world financial institutions (IMF, WB etc) to lend money to Nigeria does not help the nation either. Even in the western nations where private education is encouraged and practiced, their government does not dream of cutting their expenditure on such vital public institutions. Such cuttings negates the world declaration on education for all (EFA) adopted by over 160 countries including Nigeria and many other African nations. If it was agreed at such conventions and many other education declarations that education no doubt liberates and assists individuals to develop their potentials and become better individuals, then there is the need for more spending on education in Nigeria, with improved curriculum suitable to our cultural and ancestral background and the future needs of our nation. Nigeria must decides the future of its children through the improvement of its educational sector,withouth undue and unfair interference of the likes of IMF and world bank. Development agencies interested in the nation’s development should be encouraged and partnered to invest in education. Governments at all level must also give priority to special education of special children whose education should as a matter of urgency be made a developmental policy. Nigeria Leaders must wake to their responsibility by ensuring strict fiscal discipline, accountability and transparency in budgetary allocation to the education sector, and respect the UNESCO adoption of 26% minimum allocation to education by developing nations, as well as the Universal declaration on Human rights and the International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights(ICESCR),all of which made it incumbent on nations of the world(including Nigeria),to make education available and accessible to everyone on the basis of equality. Endowed with so much natural and human resources (including the Nigerian child), our nation Nigeria would be a better place only if there is an increase in investment on education of our children. The success story of some Asian Nations that used to be “developing nation”, but now are developed nations should be an eye opener for our nation. Having all Nigerian children in school could save hundreds of thousands of lives per day. We must realize that unless education is given a central place in resource allocation, the nation may be left behind in achieving the objectives of Education For All Goals and the MDGs. Until and unless the Goal 2 of the MDGs is achieved as the minimum option on quality education provision for the Nigerian child, the future our nation may be in danger. As we mark this year’s Nigerian children’s day celebration, we must seek answers that address these challenges. We must focus on our children and ensure their voices are heard, their needs met and their fundamental rights protected. One clear message though is; an investment in the future of our children, irrespective of their physical ability/disability is a fundamental to achieving MDGs and other developmental options, and must start today with them. For the surest way to a better society is through the hope enkindled in children’s eye. Fatoki Taiye Timmy (Member, UN Youth Task Force on Climatic Change) « return.