Early marriage, farming activities exacerbating OoSC challenge- Ganjuwa LG Stakeholders lament.
2024/25 ,Ganjuwa LGA EDC stakeholders training at councils secretariat. Photo credit Abubakar Baba Ahmad (Radio Nigeria)
By Abubakar Baba Ahmad.
Education Stakeholders in Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi State have identified early marriage and farming activities especially during rainy season as major factors hindering children’s access to education and exacerbating the Out of School Children, OoSC problem in the area.
To this end, they have adopted measures to include identification of OoSC, engagement of traditional and religious leaders, door to door mobilisation, reward for hard work, Enrolment Drive Campaign EDC as well as continues advocacy and sensitisation towards overcoming the challenges.
These are part of resolutions at a 1-day training of LGA ED & B2S Campaign Team for Ganjuwa local government organised by SUBEB in collaboration with UNICEF Bauchi Field Office held at Kafin Madaki.
Speaking at the event, the District Head of Ganjuwa Dr Baba Muhammad Gidado represented by the Village Head of Kafin Liman Alhaji Sulaiman Adamu, expressed worry over the rate at which school aged girls are married out before completion, while boys are sent to farm during rainy season, a situation he described as unacceptable.
Dr Baba Gidado who doubles as Madakin Bauchi, said any parent partaking in such acts would be punished, noting that all Village and Hamlet heads under his domain have been given matching orders to ensure adequate sensitisation on the need for total enrolment of school aged children in the area.
“Any father/parent that takes their children to the farm at the detriment of schooling will face the consequences, and so also those removing their female children from school to marry them off will be prosecuted, that is, tale to court if the need warrants, we shall not relent”, Madaki warns.
On his part, the Chairperson Ganjuwa local council Alhaji Mohammed Idris represented by the Director Admin Murtala Madaki who reminded parents and other stakeholders on their responsibilities in securing the future of every child, promised maximum support towards the successful implementation of the campaign.
“It is disheartening how leaders send their wards to school and abandon children of the poor. Those neglected children wil one day become a problem to the society and we shall all account for our stewardship before Hod Almighty”, Idris reminds.
In a remark, the Education Secretary Ganjuwa LEA Bala Adamu Kubi, who listed 26 factors exacerbating the OoSC situation in the area to include religious misconception, cost of Schooling and Proximity, physical challenges, gender imbalance, migration, early marriage, weak community participation among others, noted that a comprehensive plan of action has been drafted already for the exercise.
Inaugurating the Councils Committee, a member of the State EDC Madam Dinah Istifanus said the committee’s terms of reference are to initiate periodic meetings, embark on high level advocacy to stakeholders, official EDC Flagg off, source additional funds and tools for the conduct of the exercise locally.
Madam Dinah who is the Executive Director Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative, FAWOYDI guided the committee members on how the four EDC data forms are to be filled for them to ensure error free data capture by the field agents.
“The aim of the training exercise is to ensure the success of the EDC 2024/25 because neither the state nor local government stakeholders alone can handle the activity, hence the need for all hands to be on deck’, Madam Dinah states.
In separate goodwill messages, the NUT and SBMC Chairmen Comrade Auwal Usman and Malam Isa Shehu as well as the representative of the Chief Imam Malam Idris Adamu and Pastor ECWA Church Reverend Bitrus Andrew promised total support towards the success of the exercise.
