The Plateau State Government says it is considering sanctions against parents who fail to enrol their school-age children as part of efforts to reduce the state’s rising out-of-school population, which currently stands at 23.2 per cent.
The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Kachollom Gang, disclosed this on Tuesday during an advocacy campaign on the activities of School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs), organised by the Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (PLSUBEB) in Jos.
Gang said the proposed measures were aimed at addressing the growing number of children outside the school system, which she attributed to insecurity and other socio-economic challenges.
“The issue of out-of-school children has become a menace. Insecurity across the country has contributed significantly to the growing number of children who are not in school, and Plateau is no exception,” she said.
She noted that Governor Caleb Mutfwang remained committed to repositioning the education sector and reversing the trend of school dropouts.
According to her, the Ministry of Education would continue to work with traditional rulers, religious leaders and development partners to ensure every school-age child was enrolled.
Gang also called on School-Based Management Committees to strengthen grassroots advocacy by identifying out-of-school children and encouraging their parents to enrol them.
She lamented the decline in educational standards in the state, recalling that Plateau was once regarded as the leading state in education in Northern Nigeria.
“When we came into office, Plateau was ranked 33rd among the 36 states. We have made some progress, but we are determined to restore Plateau to its rightful position,” she said.
Earlier, the Executive Chairman of PLSUBEB, Mr. Sunday Amuna, said tackling the out-of-school children crisis required the collective efforts of government, communities, traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society organisations.
He warned that children who remained out of school were more vulnerable to crime and other social vices, urging communities to discourage child hawking, illegal mining and other activities that deprived children of education.
Amuna added that the state government, in partnership with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), had funded the training and retraining of School-Based Management Committee members under its Annual Basic Education Action Plan to strengthen community mobilisation.
Also speaking, the UBEC State Coordinator, Mrs. Esther Tells, said Nigeria had about 18.5 million out-of-school children, one of the highest figures globally.
She disclosed that Plateau had an out-of-school rate of 23.2 per cent, with school enrolment at about 65 per cent and a dropout rate exceeding 28 per cent, expressing confidence that stronger School-Based Management Committees would improve enrolment across the state.
The Plateau State Chairman of the School-Based Management Committees, Mr. Davou Terry, identified insecurity, illegal mining, child labour and early marriage as major factors driving the increasing number of out-of-school children.
He said findings from community engagements showed that many children had been displaced by insecurity, while others abandoned school for mining, domestic work or early marriage.
Terry pledged that the committees would continue engaging traditional rulers, community leaders and parents to ensure more children returned to school.
The advocacy campaign brought together government officials, education managers, development partners, traditional rulers and members of School-Based Management Committees to strengthen grassroots efforts aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school chStates. in Plateau State.