The Kano State government, disturbed by the lukewarm attitude of some parents towards their children, has threatened to take decisive action against parents whose children were found roaming streets during school hours instead of being in school.
The state commissioner of education, Umar Doguwa, disclosed this on Sunday during a stakeholder meeting with women on the significance of girls’ education as a key emphasis for the accelerated socio-economic development of Kano State.
“If we find a child coming late to school, we will invite the parents, explain the situation to them, and tell them we want them (the children) to come by 8 am. And if they don’t heed the call, we will do the needful,” he stated.
According to him, “the state government will not tolerate absenteeism, lateness, or children roaming the streets during school hours.”
“The way we take measures on teachers who come to school late, so we will take measures on children who come to school late,” he added.
He then hinted that “parents must realise they have a responsibility to send their children (both male and female) to school.” Doguwa, however, stated.
“So the component that is remaining now is the student aspect, in which we decide to reach out to the parents to learn about the importance of education and their commitment to allow their children to be in school on time.”
He added that since the state government has made education free in the state and provided means of transportation to transport the children to school, among others, there is a need for parents to complement the government’s effort by sending their wards to school.
“When we came on board, we met the education sector in a pathetic situation. We have 5.3 million students in the state, and we met about 4.5 students sitting on the floor without chairs and without teaching materials,” he said.
Doguwa recalled how “the previous administration shut down 28 boarding schools. We have over 32,000 students in those schools; after the closure, we now have about 9,000 students in boarding schools. Most of them are now in day schools.”
He, therefore, stated, “The government, under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, allocated 29.7 per cent of the budget to education, promised to pay salaries on time, repaired about 70 high-capacity vehicles to transport the children to school, monitored the conduct of the teachers, and asked the parents whose role it is to send their children to school.”
Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary, High-Level Women Association, HILWA, Hajia Ladidi Fagge, said the closure of the boarding schools is the genesis of school dropouts among girls in the state, as they now engage in street hawking, among other activities.
She urged for the support of parents, especially women, to complement the government’s efforts by ensuring their children go to school, transit, complete their academic pursuits, and attain their full potential in life.
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